Standing Stones, Stone Circles and other things...

 April 2021 and, due to Covid Restrictions, there are still no gigs in Ireland.  Other music photographers I know, both amateur and pro, have found other projects to sate their interest, but I was struggling.

What's the best thing to do when struggling?  Simple, spend money on gadgets!  I bought myself a Mavic Mini Drone.  Now all I had to do was learn to fly it and figure out what to do with it.  

That took a bit longer than I expected.  The weather in February and March wasn't great, lots of rain unfortunately, and that's not good for flying drones.  However, I did start to formulate a plan.  

Out by Punchestown Racecourse, there are two Standing Stones.  I figured I'd use the drone to get some images of them.  Then I began to wonder if there were any more around Kildare.  It turns out that there are  plenty!!

So, each Saturday morning, weather permitting, I go out with my drone and camera to photograph them.

First up is the Standing Stone opposite the main gate at Punchestown.

Longstone at Craddockstown - Punchestown, County Kildare

In a field beside the exit at Punchestown is yet another Standing Stone.

Punchestown Longstone - Punchestown, County Kildare

A friend told me about a Stone Circle out near Ballymore Eustace.  So after a small bit of internet research, I had its location and I was off to the Broadleas Stone Circle!

Broadleas Stone Circle - Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare

One of the guys I work with told me of a Standing Stone near Kilcullen.  That's only out the road from me, so after another quick Google search, I was off to find the Kilgowan Standing Stone.

Kilgowan Standing Stone - Kilcullen, County Kildare

Whilst I was taking photos of the Broadleas Stone Circle, a local told me of another near Hollywood in Co. Wicklow.  So, when I could manage to get out there, I did and it did not disappoint!

Athgreany Stone Circle - Hollywood, County Wicklow

Late one night with time on my hand, I searched online for more interesting Stones in my locality and came across Adam and Eve, otherwise known as Boherboy Standing Stones in Saggart.  Now, Saggart is close to Casement Aerodrome, so you can't fly a drone there. That didn't matter, the stones are easily accessible, so I just brought my camera instead.

Boherboy Standing Stones - Saggart, Co. Dublin

And that's it so far. As restrictions lift and we can travel further afield, I'll continue to shoot these images.  It's hard to believe that all these neolithic and bronze age sites are all only a few short miles from my home and the only two I ever heard about in school were the Punchestown stones.

So yeah, that's my new project.  The one that will hopefully keep me sane whilst the country remains in lockdown!  Stay tuned for more.