Armoy

Leprechauns are a type of fairy of the Aos Sí, or little people, in Irish folklore. Hollywood has stereotyped them throughout the years, though they do have a couple of things right about them according to lore: they partake in mischief and especially love a good practical joke… which is one reason I believe in them.

On our first trip to Northern Ireland, we caught up with our friend, Mari. She’s a photographer, too, with a keen eye for the scenery of the Emerald Isle… she knows exactly where to plant a tripod in her neck o’ the woods for just the right shot. It had been a while since she had been here to the Dark Hedges… rather than driving all over creation to find it, she noticed a rather big, rough-appearing fella off the side of the road and made a U-turn to talk to him. He brightened up when Mari asked how close she was… I had no idea what he said, though obviously both he and Mari were speaking English, though with a deep Irish brogue. Whatever was said, Mari whipped the vehicle back around and we were there within minutes.

She drove through the length of the hedges, turned the car around and parked. We got out to a most magical scene. Mari gave me a short history of the old beech trees that spread over this avenue leading to a mansion that has since become a golf course clubhouse. Mari told me that until recently, the Dark Hedges were relatively unknown, but while setting up the tripod, two taxis pulled up along with a couple of other private vehicles and parked right in front of my setup. So much for a good shot with so many people crawling along the only possible compositions. To make matters worse, a huge tour bus pulled up next to us. Yikes! So many people, now, everyone with their smartphones out and shooting. So why was this place so popular so suddenly? HBO's Game of Thrones is why. Filming throughout the series has largely taken place in Northern Ireland... and the brooding Dark Hedges is a naturally spooky backdrop for many scenes in it. Sigh.

Usually, in situations like this, I’ll wait it out… but we were with Mari, on her time. I remember wishing that all these folks would take a hike somewhere else. Suddenly, lightning struck twice nearby, and it started to hail… until this moment, the day had been bright and sunny. What happened?

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is quite robust in raw weather, so I left it out while we jumped back into Mari’s SUV to wait out this sudden storm, though we were the only ones to do so… everyone else bugged out! Sitting in the car, the deluge got worse and the warm road converted it to fog, which gave the hedges an almost sinister appearance… the exact shot I was looking for. After a few nice shots, the storm left as quickly as it had appeared… and, again, the crowd returned, but not before I got the shot!

I owe thanks to Mari for putting up with me, yet some of that may have to be extended to the “little people”, too… I got my wish. Mari is quite diminutive compared to me… she might be part leprechaun! I’ve since found that I’m genetically quite Irish… Mari’s been anything but mischievous to me. Must be the “luck of the Irish” that I see the sweet side of leprechauns. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

This area has been recently made famous by television series "Game of Thrones" & has since been captured...

Dark Hedges

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The Dark Hedges, Armoy, Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the...