Love In The Time Of Coronavirus

“I’m not going,” she says.

“Ah come on, don’t be daft,” I say, “sure it’s all hysteria. You’re more likely to die of diabetes but that doesn’t stop you eating all those chocolate bars, does it?”

“What are you trying to say?” she asks.

“Well, nothing, just that, you know, you like chocolate.”

“And so what if I like it? I know what you’re saying, you asshole.”

“I’m not saying anything. We’ve been looking forward to this gig for weeks. It’d be a shame not to go just because of some silly virus.” Continue reading “Love In The Time Of Coronavirus” →

Losing With Style At The Connemara Marathon 2018

“Well, at least you finished,” was a sympathetic response I got from several runners when I told them I did the Connemarathon last Sunday in 5hours 20mins. Most of these people had done sub 4 hours.

To this sympathetic tone and sincere look of pity, I felt the need to defend my manhood.

“I was wearing these barefoot shoes, see,” said I, showing them my VFFs as proof, “I’m doing Limerick in two weeks in ‘normal’ shoes and expect I’ll do sub 4 hours.”

Continue reading “Losing With Style At The Connemara Marathon 2018” →

Back in the Saddle at the Ballinasloe Marathon

Never again, I say to myself as I spend hours upon hours ploughing through the ridiculous amount of photos I took at the Dublin marathon. It’s Thursday night before I finish going through and uploading all the photos I took and all day Friday I feel immensely fatigued and swear I shall never photograph another endurance event again. Continue reading “Back in the Saddle at the Ballinasloe Marathon” →

Out of the Shadows at the Galway Bay Marathon, 10KM, & Half-Marathon

“JESUS CHRIST!” exclaims a passing lady after I say “good morning” to her from my carefully chosen vantage point a short while before the Galway Bay Marathon events start (Photos here). A whimsical part of me wants to say, “No, ma’am. I am not Jesus Christ. I am the COW! The Galway COW,” but, afraid that she might call the men in the white coats, or a veterinarian who may subsequently have me put to sleep for having a clear-cut case of mad cow disease, I elect to simply apologise and it turns out that she didn’t actually think my name was Jesus but the fact was, because I was sitting in the shadows beside a wall with the sun at my back, she couldn’t actually see, and was frightened by, me on account of being blinded by the bright early morning sun and startled by a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Continue reading “Out of the Shadows at the Galway Bay Marathon, 10KM, & Half-Marathon” →

Blood, Walking, Defiance, & Shooting the Shooter at Croí’s Hearty Walk

Blood profusely spurting from my face, I rush out the door to get into Eyre Square to capture participants at Croi’s 15 minute walk for World Heart Day. Having been tagged by them in a Tweet, I replied that I hoped to see them tomorrow to take some snaps of their event. They replied that it was TODAY which meant I had about 5 minutes to shave, Lynx myself up, and bound towards Eyre Square. Unfortunately, I sliced my face open in the process of my hurried shaving efforts. (Photos from the event here). Continue reading “Blood, Walking, Defiance, & Shooting the Shooter at Croí’s Hearty Walk” →

Aphrodisiac Marathon in Clarinbridge 2016

This feels right, I think, as I make my way towards Clarinbridge’s inaugral Oyster Marathon event which consists of a 10km, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. Unlike other events I’ve photographed, joy and excitement are the only things I feel at the start of today’s efforts to capture the movement. (Photos of the event are here). Continue reading “Aphrodisiac Marathon in Clarinbridge 2016” →

Finding Myself at the Tara Energy Festival in Loughrea

Often feeling lost, I decided that this weekend I would try and find myself so I go to Loughrea for the last day of the three day Tara Energy Festival. It’s a drug and alcohol free event and so I shall have no way of overcoming any sense of social awkwardness that one sometimes feels amongst a group of people that one has never met before. Continue reading “Finding Myself at the Tara Energy Festival in Loughrea” →

Wide Legs & Wide Lenses @ The Dirty Circus in Seven Bar

“You must love your job,” I quip to one of the other three photographers in attendance after watching him get in the middle of the action with his wide angle lens.

“I f***ing love it,” he says, and I suspect I know why. Continue reading “Wide Legs & Wide Lenses @ The Dirty Circus in Seven Bar” →

Forest Gumping for Pieta House & Billy’s World (Part 1 of 2)

Running 1,800 Miles (2,500KM) might not seem like everyone’s idea of a fun thing to do but for Leitrim born Tom Reynolds and Lillian Deegan that’s exactly what it is. Plus, they are raising money for Pieta House and Billy’s World which makes theirs a noble cause (You can donate by following this link). Continue reading “Forest Gumping for Pieta House & Billy’s World (Part 1 of 2)” →

Being Hit by the High Seas at the Frances Thornton Memorial Swim 2016

Danger is my middle name. Okay, it’s not really, but I’m not really a COW either. But nor is Batman a bat.

Today I’m hitting the high seas of Galway Bay for the eleventh annual Frances Thornton Memorial swim. One-hundred-and-two swimmers are braving the elements to swim 13km across the bay from Clare to Blackrock in Salthill and, with my unique set of special skills, I’ve managed to wrangle my way onto one of the more than seventy boats that have volunteered their assistance. Continue reading “Being Hit by the High Seas at the Frances Thornton Memorial Swim 2016” →