Irish Landscape Picture. The Mountains of Mourne - Co.Down

The Mourne Mountains  are a granite mountain range inCounty Down in the north-east of Ireland and includes the highest mountains in the province ofUlster. The highest of these is Slieve Donard at 850 metres (2,790 ft). The Mournes is an area of outstanding natural beautyand is partly owned by the National Trust and sees a large number of visitors every year. The name Mourne (historically spelt Morne) is derived from the name of a Gaelic clann or sept called the Múghdhorna.

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Irish Landscape Pictures - Gougane Barra

View our new pictures of Gouganne Barra here.

Irish Landscape Photography Picture of the month January - Isle of Man Sunrise

In Manx mythology, the island was ruled by Manannán mac Lir, a Celtic sea god, who would draw his misty cloak around the island to protect it from invaders. One of the principal theories about the origin of the name Mann is that it is named after Manannan.

In the Manx tradition of folklore, there are many stories of mythical creatures and characters. These include the Buggane, a malevolent spirit who according to legend blew the roof off St Trinian's Church in a fit of rage; the Fenodyree; the Glashtyn; and the Moddey Dhoo, aghostly black dog who wandered the walls and corridors of Peel Castle.

The Isle of Man is also said to be home to fairies, known locally as the little folk or themselves. There is a famous Fairy Bridge and it is said to be bad luck if one fails to wish the fairies good morning or afternoon when passing over it. It used to be a tradition to leave a coin on the bridge to ensure good luck. Other types of fairies are the Mi'raj and the Arkan Sonney.

An old Irish story tells how Lough Neagh was formed when Ireland's legendary giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (commonly anglicised to Finn McCool) ripped up a portion of the land and tossed it at a Scottish rival. He missed, and the chunk of earth landed in the Irish Sea, thus creating the island.

Picture of the Week - Fastnet Lighthouse 

Fastnet Rock Lighthouse (Irish: Carraig Aonair, meaning "solitary rock / lone rock") is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean and the most southerly point of Ireland. It lies 13 kilometres (8.1 miles) from County Cork on the Irish mainland.[1] 

Due to its location, Fastnet was known as 'Ireland's Teardrop' because it was the last part of the country that Irish emigrants would see as they sailed to the United States in the 19th century.

Fastnet Rock is used as the midpoint of one of the world's classic offshore yachting races, the Fastnet Race, a 1,126 kilometres (700 mi) round trip from Cowes, UK round the rock and back to Plymouth. It is also used occasionally as a mark for yacht races from local sailing centres such as Schull and Baltimore.