Stunning Irish Coastline You’ve Never Seen Before
Every time I plan a road trip, the call of the Wild Atlantic pulls me westward. The crashing waves, the untamed coastline, and that unique feeling I get every time I visit an irresistible draw. This time, however, I decided to take a different path. As I drove through Killarney, I resisted the usual route to Dingle and, on a whim, turned right towards a place that held a special place in my heart: Ballyheigue.
Ballyheigue is a place I used to visit every summer as a teenager with my best friend. As I approached, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia mixed with curiosity—what would it look like now through the eyes of a landscape photographer? The beach there is still as stunning as I remembered, a popular spot for visitors even today. Behind the beach, the sand dunes stretched out, and I felt a strong urge to explore, hoping to find a unique composition.
After 30 minutes of wandering the dunes, I found some potential shots, but the midday light was too harsh for what I had in mind. I decided to return later in the day, but for now, I pulled out Google Maps to explore the coastline further north. It wasn’t long before I spotted what looked like a promising location, and the best part—it appeared to be accessible by road, getting me within a kilometre of my intended shooting spot.
The drive north was typical rural Ireland—narrow roads with sharp bends, and the ever-present possibility of meeting a tractor around the next corner. The farmers of North Kerry were as friendly as ever, skillfully manoeuvring around me without much trouble. After about 20 minutes, my sat-nav indicated the turnoff. However, as I took it, I quickly realised that what Google Maps labelled as a road was more of a dirt and gravel path, barely wide enough for my van.
With no way to turn around, I had no choice but to keep going, crawling at 5 km/h. That’s when I hit my first major obstacle: an electric fence stretched across the road. I parked the van and ducked under the wire to scout ahead, hoping to find a place to turn around. Almost immediately, I was greeted by a herd of cows making their way down the path towards me. It was a bit of a dilemma—wait for them to pass, or continue down the path to see if there was a way out.
I chose the latter, walking further down the jagged, rocky path, mindful that one wrong move could pierce my tyres. After what felt like an eternity, I found a spot wide enough to turn the van around—it was, in fact, the very place I had intended to park up and shoot. Relieved, I headed back to the van, only to see the cows still making their slow journey down the path, followed by a farmer in his 4x4.
When the farmer finally reached me, I was half-expecting a lecture, but instead, he hopped out of his jeep, picked up my glasses (which I had unknowingly dropped), and apologized for the delay. It’s moments like these that remind me how sound the locals can be here.
With the cows finally past and my van pointed in the right direction, I was ready for the shoot. The location was breathtaking—imposing cliffs, incredible rock formations, and the powerful waves crashing below. Everything I love about landscape photography was right there in front of me, and the light was shaping up to be perfect.
You can check out the video from this hidden gem of a location and see the images I captured in the gallery below.
