Here’s some of my photographs that appeared in the Arctic: On Our Watch exhibition at MEPC73, the International Maritime Organization, London, October 22-26, 2018
Read More »The Arctic: On Our Watch at the International Maritime Organization
One of my photographs of Hans Island, an uninhabited dome of rock between Greenland and Ellesmere Island was published recently in UK magazine Geographical.
One my photographs, depicting the setting sun behind Dublin’s Poolbeg power station has been used in a New York Times article about Ireland’s recent divestment from fossil fuels – making it the first nation to do so.
Read More »My photo in the New York Times & NPR: Ireland Divests from Fossil Fuels
A photograph of mine, made at Yellowstone National Park’s Grand Prismatic Spring, in Wyoming, USA, has been published print and online by High Country News magazine, to accompany a rather cheerful book review about “America’s next devastating earthquake”.
Read More »Yellowstone Grand Prismatic Spring in High Country News
My collection of polar photography, The Cold Edge, is currently showing at the Powerscourt Gallery, Dublin, until May 31st. Organised by the Copper House Gallery and the Powerscourt Centre as part of the Photo Ireland Festival 2017, 10 images are on show. The C-Type prints were first displayed in September 2012, at the Copper House – it’s good to see them back again for Dubliners to take a look at. All of the prints are for sale – get in touch if you’d like to know more!
Read More »The Cold Edge Exhibition at the Powerscourt Gallery, Dublin
Aerial views of Melt Pools and melt rivers on Petermann Glacier, in remote northwest Greenland.
Here’s a photo I made from a Greenpeace helicopter over Petermann Glacier in remote Northwestern Greenland in 2009 during a Greenpeace campaign to look at how climate change was affecting Greenland’s outlet glaciers, before the infamous Copenhagen climate meeting. Those are meltpools on the floating tongue of the Glacier, and the black blobs are cryoconite, deposits of rock, soil, soot, and other matter that collects on ice, then melts its way down. The 80km long, 20km wide floating tongue of Petermann Glacier currently accounts for about 10% of the output of ice from Greenland’s Ice Cap.
Read More »Petermann Glacier in National Geographic Traveller
Tearsheet news! My photograph of the amazing Global Seed Vault in Svalbard has made the cover of Grainwest magazine, based in Calgary, Canada, for an article titled “The Doomsday Vault: Gene Banks and Their Keepers Preserve The Building Blocks of Nature”. You can read the online article here, Seeds of Futures Past. Thanks to Grainwest Sales and Production Coordinator Tommy Wilson for publishing the photo.
Read More »Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Grainswest
I received this beautiful book in the post yesterday – an Atlas of Mammals in Ireland, 2010-2015, published by the National Biodiversity Data Centre, and authored by Liam Lysaght and Ferdia Marnell. I’m honoured to have two of my photographs featured – one depicting Ireland’s majestic red deer, and the other, our under appreciated feral goats. The book is out, and in the shops, so check your local (Irish) bookshop now.
Update – check out this video from RTE News about the book.
Read More »Photographs featured in Irish Mammal Atlas
Wild goats at the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare. These goat herds became wild between medieval times and the early 20th century – the species are not native to Ireland.
It’s always a great feeling when you find your pictures have been run by an international publication – in this case, VW Pics/Redux placed some of my photographs from the Irish counties of Cork, Clare and Donegal with National Geographic Travel, for a feature on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way – the epic route along the country’s west coast. Enjoy!
Read More »Wild Atlantic Way in National Geographic
An exhibition of my Arctic photography, in partnership with Greenpeace Belgium is running through January 2016 at Le Rayon Vert in Brussels. “The Arctic: Another World?” exhibition has toured in Belgium since 2013 – three years later, it’s still finding new audiences. In late 2013, I joined other speakers at Bibliothèque de Laeken for the Arctic Nocturne.
Read More »Brussels Arctic Exhibition at Rayon Vert (now extended to end of February)
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
The Global Seed Vault, located the top of the world, on the island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, is back in the news – for the first time seeds are being taken from the bank for one of the reasons it was created – to supply and safeguard seeds in a time of war. Al Jazeera reports that “as Aleppo gene back built to safeguard global food supplies is at risk, researchers request frozen seeds from Svalbard”. Although Aleppo lies within the famous “fertile crescent“, it’s also in the thick of the Syrian war. Svalbard, despite some political shenanigans between Norway and Russia, remains calm, with more polar bears than people, and very cold.
Read More »Svalbard’s Global Seed Vault back in the News
Iceberg cover image by Dave Walsh for Conserving the Arctic conference
On 4th of March 2015, one of my Arctic iceberg photographs was used by Greenpeace and independent meeting organiser QED (qed.eu) for EU Arctic Dialogue “Conserving the Arctic – A stronger role for Europe?” near Waterloo, outside Brussels, Belgium. The event was officially endorsed by the Finnish Foreign Ministry, and hosted by Mr Jean-Marie Delwart, one of the signatories of the International Declaration on the Future of the Arctic, in his Château d’Argenteuil, near Brussels. High-level guests (including European decision-makers, Ministers, business and civil society leaders and top-level signatories of the International Declaration on the Future of the Arctic) attended during an afternoon of speeches and conversations, followed by a cocktail and a dinner.
Read More »Tearsheet: Conserving the Arctic: A Stronger Role for Europe
Bruxelles est Charlie
On Sunday, January 11th 2015, I joined 20,000 other residents of Brussels of all creed, origin and colour for a peaceful march in the name of tolerance and freedom of speech, following the appalling carnage carried out in Paris – starting with the Charlie Hebdo killings. Here’s the images.
Read More »Bruxelles est Charlie: photos
Dusk in Cadaques, Catalonia, Spain
Happy New Year! Here’s a photo I made in Cadaqués, Catalonia, earlier this week. I hope your path in 2015 leads you to exciting places and fruitful experiences!
Iceberg, Antarctica
Until the end of the month, the officials from 24 countries – plus the EU – will consider a range of issues, the most notorious of which is the long-delayed establishment of marine reserves in the Ross Sea and in the waters of East Antarctica. I can’t tell you what’s happening at the meeting so far, as CCAMLR meets behind closed doors. The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition is the only non-governmental organisation representing civil society at CCAMLR – but my colleagues in the room are prohibited from reporting on proceedings until they have formally ended. We will know if the news is good or bad by the end of October.
For all the travelling I’ve done, it’s always good to come home. I am writing these words 50m away from the River Slaney, in the south east of Ireland, with a a copy of Crossabeg: The Parish and its People (Vol 2) waiting for me. And I’m honoured to be featured in the book. When my neighbour here, Alice Devine, one of the team who put the book together asked me to write something about my travels, I thought the best way was to show how my upbringing in Crossabeg provided the foundation for everything that followed – including my trips to the Arctic and the Antarctica. For those of you not able to get your hands on the book, here’s what I wrote:
Slough Creek Trail, on the way to backcountry camping, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. This photograph was taken on a hot, hot day at the end of July. It’s usually better to hike earlier in the day, but the relative flatness of the trail, plus some logistics we had to take care of meant a late start for our first attempt at backcountry camping. The trail heads through beautiful natural meadows, and passes distant fly fishermen focussed on persuading curious trout to come ashore.
Read More »Camping in Bear Country: Slough Creek Trail, Yellowstone
We almost bumped into Ms. Moose on the way back from Electric Peak – she, and her offspring, Junior, were foraging on the banks of Glen Creek. We came within a few metres of them before stopping still, and backing off a bit. The two moose took off out of the water, and onto the trail ahead of us. We gave them a few minutes to get ahead, then moved slowly along the path. After 50m or so, we spotted Ms. M at the other side of the narrow creek, alone. Junior was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly she took off, and made to head us off on the path. We retreated, and ended up the path, farther back then when we had first encountered. She followed us, quickly but not aggressively, with a sense of purpose and authority, and didn’t get too close. When we reached open country, she escorted us no further. After a short pause, she made a quick turn and galloped away down the path. After a few minutes, we followed, even more tentatively than before. Neither Ms. Moose or Junior were anywhere to be seen; the path then opened out into flat, sagebrush country, with willow bushes on the right. We kept a close watch, but we didn’t see the moose family again.
Morning light illuminates how we keep our food and backpacks away away from the rain and the bears – a horizontal pole, high above the ground, with backpacks and food strung high above the claws of any curious bear. Us humans, however, sleep in the tent, on the ground with cans of pepper spray for company. Beside the Gardner River, on the Sportsmans Lake Trail, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
Read More »Keeping Bears at Bay in Yellowstone
Black bear, on the Blacktail Plateau Drive in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. We came across this black bear munching on Bearberry Honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata – aka twinberry) early one morning. Although we sat there for several minutes watching the bear consume breakfast, we were completely ignored until it decided that it eaten all it could reach, and crossed the dirt road, giving us one straight glare before heading into the bushes in search of seconds.