Week 3 : From Scrabro to Longford: Beating the Weather and Embracing the Unexpected

Day 15 – Co. Down

I headed to Scrabo for sunset, a place I had an amazing drone shot in mind for. The tower on top of the hill, a Victorian monument with a rich history (it was built in 1857 in memory of Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry), was the perfect subject. I arrived early to scout the location, but a small sign quickly dashed my plans: "No Drones Allowed." I considered flying from the car park, but I once again chose to respect the rules, which was a good decision as I later noticed an airport nearby.

For my shot, I had to capture the impressive structure's full height of 125 feet (38 meters). By stepping back as far as possible, I just managed to fit it all in my frame. The location offers stunning 360-degree views, and I was ready to reposition myself for the best light, but as I waited, it became clear that a fiery sunset wasn't going to happen.

During my wait, I met two young men. One of them had been struggling with his mental health, and as we talked, I felt a strong connection. I offered him some advice, which he seemed to appreciate. As predicted, the sunset was a bust, but I had my shot. I parked up for the night, hoping for a second chance at sunrise, but the clouds won that fight as well. I had already hiked 2.4 km the night before, so all that was left was my coffee and my GAA goal, which I easily accomplished in Newtownards. Another adventure was over, and all tasks were complete

Day 16 – Armagh

For my shot in Armagh, I had a location in mind that I had wanted to visit since I was a kid. Back in school, we had a stencil to draw the shape of Ireland, and I would spin my pen around in the cutout for Lough Neagh. Since I was in the area, this was going to be my shot. Upon arriving at Oxford Island, I immediately got my coffee and then took a walk around the park to get my 1 km in. My photo subject was a boat jetty that leads directly into the lough, and it didn't take me long to get the shot.

With three of my four tasks done, all I needed was my GAA goal. This would prove to be a bit of a challenge, reminding me of my previous struggle in Belfast. This time, the pitches weren't closed; I just had trouble finding the access point. My GPS sent me on a merry-go-round of routes, and I was about to give up when I spotted a man sitting in his car outside his house. I approached him and asked for directions. He explained that it can be very hard to find, using some more colorful language. He gave me directions, and when I told him what I was doing, he loved the idea, just like others had before. We shared some stories about how Pieta House was a great choice for a charity. After our chat, it was just a matter of minutes before I was at my destination for my goal, which, of course, I scored with ease. While recording it, I decided to do one continuous take to prove that I wasn't editing out any misses. All tasks were complete, and another county was done and dusted.

Day 17 – Louth

It was mid-afternoon when I headed toward Louth. I was finished with the five counties of Northern Ireland, and as I crossed the border, I opted to get my goal in Dundalk and get it out of the way early, not wanting to risk missing my opportunity. I scored my goal, and one mission was accomplished. Next, I called my friend Patrick, who lives in Louth. We had arranged to meet before I even started this journey. That's the great thing about the photography community; you meet people who become close friends you can rely on, and Patrick is definitely one of those.

He did, however, send me on a wild goose chase. He sent me his location pin, but because he was out walking on a greenway, he was constantly moving. After we finally met up, it was time for coffee. He brought me to the village of Blackrock for a coffee and we had a great chat. He then offered to cook me dinner and give me a place to edit some videos. I was editing video seven at this point, so I was behind but still on schedule for daily releases. I took him up on his offer of food, editing space, and a shower before we jumped in the van and headed toward my photo location.

This would be a special shoot for a number of reasons. The first was the location itself: a lone tree on a hill with views all around. Known locally as the "Fairy Tree," it was one I had been looking forward to. I hadn't considered it as a location initially, as I was going to shoot at Roche's Castle, but Patrick convinced me otherwise. Upon arrival, as I was getting my gear out of the van, a man walked toward us. "I can't believe it, it's actually you!" he said. His name was Colin, and he had been following my adventures online and was delighted to see me there for my Louth shot. It felt amazing that my mission was getting noticed and wasn't all in vain. Colin even donated through the app on my phone right there and then. He also mentioned that he had been thinking of booking a spot for my December workshop in Donegal and booked it on the spot. Amazing.

The day was shaping up to be great, and all I needed was light. And boy, did we get light—the best light of the trip since Cork, all those days earlier. Patrick was now filming me, which was great, and as I looked toward the western horizon, I saw the smallest gap in the clouds. I remarked, "Wouldn't it be great if the sun dropped into the gap and went BOOM?" Well, it did, and it was fantastic. An f/16 aperture gave me a sunstar, with the tree standing proudly against the sky, which was now catching the color from the sunset. Plus I got a second shot too after the sun had gone below the horizon. What a finish to the day; all tasks were complete, and another great evening was spent with a good friend.

Day 18 – Monaghan

Monaghan was next on my list. I traveled there after sunset in Louth and arrived under the cover of darkness. It took me a while to fall asleep; I was still on a high. When I woke for sunrise, I had to shoot even though the clouds were thick and gray. A lot of rain was forecast, and if I didn't take the opportunity, I would miss my task for that county. Walking from the van like a zombie, I arrived for my shot. The subject was a quaint village called Ballinode and a still-running mill right in the center. I would have liked more flow in the water, but on this project, I didn't have the luxury of waiting. I was on a tight schedule and needed to take what I got. Despite this, I still managed to get a nice shot, albeit without any color in the sky. It was now time to head back to the van and get some much-needed rest. This project, while a lot of fun, was incredibly taxing on my energy. Getting up for sunrise and staying active until sunset with lots of driving, walking, hiking, editing, and thinking was beginning to take its toll.

After two hours of sleep, it was time to get my task count up. A local GAA pitch, where a match was about to start, would prove to be perfect. After a chat with the steward, I was in, just before the teams took to the pitch. Success, another goal scored, even with an audience. That same steward directed me to a local coffee shop called Henry’s. It used to be a pub but had been converted into a coffee shop. It was great to see all the old memorabilia still there, plus lots of locals chatting and having conversations. When I told the team what I was doing, they gave me the coffee for free. Amazing once again. If you are ever in Scotstown, visit Henry's; the coffee was superb, and the welcome was even better. All that remained was to get my remaining steps in to reach my 1 km, which I did, and the county was complete.

Day 19 – Cavan

Cavan was my next county, a place I had only passed through in the past. I had a shot in mind but wanted to make sure I could get it, as rain was still approaching. I made sure I didn't mess about and went straight to the location. Cavan is known for having 365 lakes—it's said that there's a lake for every day of the year—so I knew my shot had to be by a lake. I decided to shoot another abandoned castle on an island, my third one of this trip, but I don't have these in Cork, and I wanted to get something that would be indicative of the region.

Upon arriving, I met some fishermen who seemed to be having great success. Many fish were being caught. Would I be able to "catch my fish," my shot, before the rain came? Launching the drone, I could see that this was going to be a nice shot, and to add a bonus, the light appeared, too. Even though it was diffused by the clouds, it was still nice. My walk would also happen here; I did 1.5 km walking around the area. All that remained was to get my goal and my coffee. My route took me past Cavan Gaels ground, and upon arrival, I struggled to find a parking spot. There was a match in full swing. Would I fail in Cavan? You bet I wouldn't. I parked up, walked into the ground, and spoke to two gentlemen who told me the match was about to end and that I would be able to get my goal there. I was told Padraig was the local encyclopedia for GAA for the club, so I took the opportunity to verify my GAA stats for the county. I had been sharing stats on each county so far and was glad to be told that my details were correct.

The last thing to get was a coffee, and this would actually prove to be the biggest challenge for this county. It was Sunday morning, and it seemed that all the local coffee shops were closed. I took a walk around Cavan town and passed a number of them with locked doors. Then I saw in the distance a place called the Hard Boiled Egg Cafe. It was open and is also a place that holds a Guinness World Record for the largest breakfast available. Fifteen of everything, it seemed. I wasn't going to get one of those, but I did get my coffee, thankfully. All tasks were complete, another county was down, and I was starting to think I was getting into the final stretch of the project.

Day 20 – Longford

The drive to Longford would be a short one and might seem counterproductive, as I was now heading back to the heart of Ireland. I had been close to Longford days earlier but didn't shoot there because my route needed to make sense for the locations I was going to shoot. If I had gone there before, I would have had to pass through it again to get to my next county.

My first task here was to get my goal. I arrived at Longford Slashers GAA Club, a scary name, I thought, and one that would put fear into opposing teams. Thankfully, I wasn't faced with such fears. I was able to get in without issue and score my goal on what was an impressive ground. That was one thing I noticed: all the pitches I had visited so far were in incredible condition. Hats off to the grounds teams from each club. With my goal in the bag, I wanted to get my coffee next, which I did in a nice place in Longford Town called Athena, also unusual as it was a gallery where other items were being sold. I fueled up on coffee and a sandwich there, and instead of heading off to get my photo, I took the opportunity to visit another lifelong friend of mine, also from Cork but living on the Longford/Roscommon border, to watch the All-Ireland Hurling Final between Cork and Tipperary. It was great to see him, but the result wasn't great. Cork was outclassed by Tipperary, who were crowned All-Ireland Champions 2025 and well-deserved, too.

All that remained for Longford was to get my shot. I had searched for a location before even setting off on this trip, just as I had for every other location. The planning that went into this trip was immense, and this location would be a surprise not only to viewers but also to myself. I hadn't seen any images of it online before, so I was only going off Google Maps. I still wanted to see if I could find a shot with a bridge over one of the canals that run through Longford, so I called a couple of other friends who live in the area to see if they could help me find such a spot. Unfortunately, to no avail. I even stopped a couple of farmers and boat owners to see if I could get a local steer, but to no avail, so it was time to take the drive to my original choice.

Upon arrival, I wasn't disappointed but was by the conditions. The rain was once again coming, so I had to work fast to get my shot. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone tree sitting right on the shore, which was a nice bonus. The location was called Barley Harbour, a small area used only by locals and fishermen, it seemed. I was also on the border of Longford and Roscommon but, thankfully, on the Longford side. I met a man who was heading out in his boat with his family, had a brief chat with him about what I was doing, and once again was reassured that it was a great cause. He said my ambition was great but would be worth it. I waited for him to leave in his boat and then grabbed my shot just in the nick of time. The rain came as I pressed the shutter button. The shot was in the bag, and I had done over 2 km of scouting for locations earlier that day. All tasks were complete, and another county was done.

Day 21 – Westmeath

Given that I didn't get a sunset and the rain was forecast to continue, I decided that my next scheduled location would come earlier. I headed onward to the next county, Westmeath. There's a lough there called Lough Owel, which I had passed hundreds of times in my past career but never photographed. I had seen many shots from a talented local photographer, Willie Forde, so I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph. Small boats tied up on shore offered the chance for calm and serene shots. Upon arrival, I did my usual approach: scout to see what it was like. I took some test shots, as the water was relatively calm, but the rain was fast approaching me. It seemed I had been able to outrun it from Longford, but now it was catching up with me. I figured I would stick with the plan of shooting it at sunrise, as this would be the best opportunity for calm waters and reflections, or so I thought.

During the night, the weather turned, and not only did I get a lot of rain, I also got a lot of wind. When my alarm went off at 4:20 a.m., I was horrified to see that there were huge waves coming ashore. Nonetheless, I still got up and went out to shoot. The conditions were the total opposite of what I had envisioned, and even when taking my shots as long exposures, I knew the shots would be poor. I was glad I took those test shots the night before, as this would be the best I could get from this location. I was tired now, so it was back to sleep for a bit before waking again at 8 a.m. and hitting a local GAA ground less than 10 minutes away to get my shot. Thankfully, once again, it was a success. I just needed to wait until 8:30 for a coffee shop to open, which thankfully wasn't going to be long. It had a great name, "A Little Bird Told Me." I parked far enough away from it so I could take my walk through the town to see it waking up before arriving, getting my coffee, and having a bite to eat. That was it; I had managed to get all my tasks done. The shot wasn't how I had wanted, but it was still nice all the same.

Lessons from the Past Week

Reflecting on the last seven days, I've learned that resilience and a positive outlook are essential for any journey, especially one filled with unexpected obstacles. Instead of getting frustrated by bad weather, technical glitches, or logistical hurdles, I found that adapting and embracing the challenges led to some of the most memorable experiences.

The most profound lesson, however, came from the restorative power of human connection. The kindness of strangers—whether they were offering coffee, charging my power banks, or giving me access to a private GAA pitch—made a huge impact. These interactions reminded me that a trip is more than just a list of places to see; it's a collection of shared moments with people who enrich the experience far more than any scenic view or perfect photo.

How These Lessons Will Help Me This Week

This understanding will be invaluable for the week ahead. I'll approach new locations with a mindset of flexibility and open-mindedness, knowing that not everything will go according to plan. Instead of obsessing over a perfect shot or a specific outcome, I'll focus on enjoying the process and the journey itself.

Most importantly, I will actively seek out opportunities to connect with the people I meet. I'll make time to chat with locals, listen to their stories, and engage with the community. By prioritising these interactions, I know that even if the weather turns or a plan falls through, the experience will still be incredibly rewarding and meaningful.