Skip to content

Icebergs, Berlin and Barcelona in New Statesman

Climate change optimism New statesman Dave Walsh

Here’s two four of my images being featured in articles in New Statesman magazine, thanks to photo agency Millennium Images.
The first image was from Kane Basin, near the 110km-wide Humboldt Glacier, in the remote north-western corner of Greenland. The photo was made during a 2009 expedition on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, as we passed by some icebergs formed by the glacier. This photo belongs in a series of Arctic and Antarctic images called The Cold Edge, which are also available as fine art prints. Contact me for more details. Full article: Should we be practising “climate change optimism”?

Read More »Icebergs, Berlin and Barcelona in New Statesman

The Cold Edge Exhibition at the Powerscourt Gallery, Dublin


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

Petermann Glacier in National Geographic Traveller

Aerial views Melt Pools on Petermann Glacier, in remote northwest Greenland

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

Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Grainswest

Global Seed Vault Svalbard in Grainswest

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

Photographs featured in Irish Mammal Atlas

Atlas of Mammals in Ireland

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 Atlantic Way in National Geographic

Wild goats at the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

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

Brussels Arctic Exhibition at Rayon Vert (now extended to end of February)

Dave Walsh Arctic Exhibition At Rayon Vert with Greenpeace

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’s Global Seed Vault back in the News

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

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

Tearsheet: Conserving the Arctic: A Stronger Role for Europe

Conserving the Arctic

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: photos

Bruxelles est Charlie

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

Protecting the Southern Ocean

Iceberg, Antarctica

Iceberg, Antarctica


As I write, the dozens of delegates attending this years meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) should be sound asleep in their Hobart hotel rooms, if they’re not out tasting Tasmania’s finest wines in the the Salamanca neighbourhood.

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.

Read More »Protecting the Southern Ocean

The Slaney and the World

The Crossabeg Book: The Slaney and the World by Dave Walsh

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:

Read More »The Slaney and the World

Camping in Bear Country: Slough Creek Trail, Yellowstone

Slough Creek Trail, Yellowstone National Park,
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

Ms. Moose and the Porcupine Quills

Moose encounter, Glen Creek, Yellowstone National Park

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.

Read More »Ms. Moose and the Porcupine Quills