Coastal Protection Works at Bastardstown, Kilmore

From March to July 2017, I documented the construction of Coastal Protection Works at Bastardstown (i’m sure there is an interesting place-name history), Kilmore, County Wexford, Ireland. I documented the process while taking beach walks with our dog Pepper.

The past few years brought drastic change to sections of the coastline here in South East Wexford, and Bastardstown – or Seaview as it is also known – was no exception. Large sections of the coastline were eroded during the storms of 2014, and it continues to this day. See some of my earlier posts documenting the storms.

Erosion is an ongoing process. The land is always changing, whether its seismic movement, man-made, or the sea reshaping the coastline; it is in constant flux.

When the erosion of land threatens somebody’s home they are left with few choices: Sell up and move, sit tight and wait for the inevitable (which may take decades), or take action and use resources available to protect their land and home.

This project was commissioned by a private client in order to protect their beachfront property from eroding to the point of their house collapsing into the sea.

Large rocks were transported from a quarry on heavy duty trucks, and slowly, and strategically placed along a section of coastline to prevent or delay progressive erosion due to storms, high tides, rising sea levels, and other factors.

It is questionable as to whether the placement of these rocks increases risk of erosion elsewhere along the coast. As a long-time and regular visitor to the beach, it is my opinion that the introduction of Rock Protection around the access slipway altered the surrounding beach landscape and erosion patterns. Some people I have spoken to on this subject think that erosion in this area was exacerbated after the construction of the Kilmore Quay Marina.

There is a notable lack of tree planting in this area. It is hard to grow trees here – though not all species – due to salty sea air, and relentless winds. Tree planting would go some way towards slowing down the erosion process. However, it might take away from your view of the sea, which, over time, may get a little too close for comfort.

Many of the photos are taken from the beach access slipway which already has rocks protecting it, and can be seen in the foreground above.

7th April, my first sighting of the Swallows or Swifts. I wondered what would become of their homes as the construction progressed.

The beach access slipway. the handrail is now in very poor condition.

All photos were taken with the iPhone, and batch processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin

Recently, I have been looking back through some photos from 2013. I splashed out on a Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 Super-Wide Heliar lens for the Leica M9. I should have also bought an external viewfinder but they didn’t have one in-store at the time.

Anyway, the lens was very small, well built, and produced pin-sharp images with near zero distortion.

I ended up selling it on after a while as I found I just didn’t use it enough to justify keeping. Other reasons included:

colour casts/shifts in the corners of images, and no external viewfinder (my bad).

Voigtlander are now producing a newer version (III) of this great lens that has improved colour performance in the corners. I know what is on my wish list for Santa this year….

Here is an interior shot I took that required no perspective correction.

Irish Architecture: Empty Rural Buildings

Spotted in rural Ireland on a road trip to the midlands.

 

The First Faint Noise of Gently Moving Water….

This scene caught my eye on a recent visit to Dun Laoghaire: The words of James Joyce in the foreground, and in the background, right of centre,  the controversial new library.

Poolbeg Power Station Chimney Stacks: Should They Stay or Go?

There has been some debate lately as to whether the, now closed, Poolbeg Power Station chimney stacks should be demolished.

The stacks are a landmark of Dublin city, but would resources be better spent elsewhere rather than on the structural repair and upkeep of these icons? Only a few years a go Dublin’s iconic Ballymun towers were demolished. Should all iconic buildings / architectural features be preserved? One designer suggested making a skybridge, turning the stacks into a tourist attraction similar to the London Eye or Sydney Opera House. Personally, I think they should be turned into launch towers, somewhere we can fire or catapult all the corrupt politicians into outer space – which is where many of them seem to already inhabit!

What do you think?

This photo was taken in 2010, on another icon; a Leica M6 loaded with 17yrs out of date Kodachrome.

Architecture Without Architects: Sand Martins

Beautiful work by these amazing little birds. They are a joy to watch. Check out the excavated dust at the bottom of the picture.

Wexford Shopfronts: Mary’s Bar

The beginnings of a new project documenting the traditional and not so traditional shopfronts/pub fronts of Wexford town.

Architectural Photography: House Renovation, Dublin.

I recently photographed a completed architectural project by David Shannon Architects. The project comprised the renovation of an old coach house which originally formed part of a larger estate.

It was a beautiful day; we got lucky with the blue skies. And the low sun really helped to animate the external facade. Pity the cherry tree wasn’t in blossom!

I was originally going to pass on the project as I am not currently set up to shoot architectural photography. All of the above photos were shot on a Leica M9 rangefinder with 24, 35, and 50mm lens. Perspective correction was carried out in photoshop.

Bellagio, Italy: Pearl of Lake Como

Bellagio is a beautiful picturesque village in Northern Italy. Surrounded by amazing panoramic views of Lake Como and the Alps, it is has to be one of the most romantic places to visit when in Italy. Beautiful old buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, wonderful cafes and restaurants all make up a wonderful experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Designed by Nord Architecture (now renamed Robin Lee Architecture) as part of a 2-stage international design competition. Completed in 2011. Read more about it here.