Most residents and visitors to Glandore Harbour & Village know this view. It's an unmissable sight, particularly because it’s located on such a tight bend that any driver will get a brief, straight-on glimpse of it as they turn their steering wheel sharply. During the summer months, when many are following the Wild Atlantic Way, it's not uncommon to see someone standing beside an open car door, engine running, holding up an iPhone or another camera to capture this view.
It’s not surprising, really; there's something inherently captivating about the receding line of a distant horizon, viewed from within the comforting and protective embrace of the land. Storms may rage outside, but within, the waters remain calm, and we feel safe.
This particular picture is a great example of how beautiful moments often happen by chance when you're not looking for them. In this case, I was returning from picking up groceries at the local village stores in Union Hall. The sun was setting, casting its last rays of light, which you can see illuminating the highest parts of the hill on the left-hand side. As I drove home, heading south along the bay, I watched the view open up, with the colors changing by the second, all reflected on the quicksilver surface of an oily sea.
It had been a perfect, balmy late summer day—the kind you wish for during your summer holidays here. There had been very little wind, and this calmness continued into the evening, resulting in dead calm conditions. I parked the car in a nearby driveway and, with my Samsung phone in hand, positioned myself on a low wall between the road and the foreshore. Out at sea, there was a wonderful warm red glow where the sun was striking a distant cloud, and above it, a turquoise sky. These colors were reflected in the glassy sea. The yachts and boats gathering for the upcoming sailing regatta were by now filling all the allocated mooring buoys, each one as still as could be, facing different directions, suggesting the tide was turning when the picture was taken.
Map Showing Location of Camera
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