LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – WEST COAST OF IRELAND
Book your place on Tom Mackie’s ten-day West of Ireland landscape photography workshop in September 2025. You’ll enjoy breathtaking views of lush mountains and rolling hills, ancient castles, rugged seascapes and cliffs, tranquil loughs and pristine beaches – plus plenty of “local colour”, including the famous hospitality of traditional Irish pubs and musical events. From the Wild Atlantic Highway to secluded inland vistas, it’s a fantastic opportunity to hone your landscape techniques with the expert guidance of a master photographer.
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP AT A GLANCE
Capture the beauty of the West Coast of Ireland on this ten-day landscape photography workshop in September 2025.
Key photo locations include the Ring of Kerry and the Sky Road, the glorious Dingle Peninsular and the national parks of the Burren and Connemara. If you’re intrigued by ancient monuments, you’ll love Ross Castle on the banks of Lough Leane, Dunguaire Castle at Kinvara and Poulnabrone dolmen. You’ll also be shooting the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey and lough, Ashford Castle, Derryclare Lough and the village of Cong (film location for The Quiet Man).
All transport during the workshop is included – giving you time to enjoy the landscape and get to know your fellow photographers. With a maximum of just six people on the workshop, it’s a relaxed, friendly experience, with plenty of time for individual tuition from Tom.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your photography will improve under Tom’s expert and friendly guidance, honed by four decades of experience as a professional landscape photographer and tutor. Whether you want to develop your photographic eye for professional composition or learn the secrets of working with the available light at all times of the day, you’re guaranteed to return home with sharpened imaging skills and fantastic images.
Your accommodation includes a well-appointed private room and a delicious breakfast. There will also be lots of opportunities to enjoy the fresh seafood for which the region is famous – from mackerel and salmon to oysters, mussels and crab. And what could be a better place to enjoy fish and chips!
You’ll need a good pair of walking boots, as some of the locations can involve a hike over uneven ground. At the edge of the Atlantic, the weather can be variable and rain is always possible, so do come prepared – waterproofs are a must!
WEST COAST OF IRELAND WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS
The workshop starts with three nights in Killarney, approximately two hours’ drive from Shannon. This charming, colourful town is the gateway to the Ring of Kerry – a circular, 111-mile (179km) route of twisting roads hugging the contours of the rugged coastlines and lush green hills of the Iveragh Peninsular in County Kerry, one of Ireland’s most beautiful regions. Highlights include Ross Castle, a 15th-century fortress set in delightful grounds on the banks of Lough Leane (also known as Killarney’s Lower Lake), whose single tower is dwarfed by the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range, which boasts Ireland’s highest peaks. Killarney’s Upper Lake is also perfect for panoramic shots over the mountains.
We’ll spend the next two nights on the glorious Dingle Peninsula, which juts 30m (48km) into the Atlantic. Fringed with some of the best beaches in Ireland, and the location for scenes on the planet of Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it’s a haven of stunning seascapes, with the remote Blasket Islands framing the horizon off the westernmost tip of the peninsula.
Our next stop is Doolin, the home of traditional Irish music, where we’ll be based for two nights. Just to the southwest are the Cliffs of Moher, rising sheer out of the Atlantic some 700 ft (214m) at their highest – the ideal setting for sunset shots. We’ll also be visiting the Burren, a unique landscape of limestone pavement studded with glacial erratics – huge boulders deposited during the last ice age. It’s also home to many prehistoric monuments, including the neolithic tomb of Poulnabrone Dolmen, where we’ll aim to catch the rising sun twinkling through the standing stones. Slightly less ancient but still quite breathtaking is the 16th-century Dunguaire Castle at Kinvarra, whose dramatic night-time floodlighting makes it ideal for bewitching blue-hour images.
For our final three nights, we’ll stay in the coastal town of Clifden. At the foot of the Twelve Bens Mountains, it’s also the start of the Sky Road – a ten-mile (16km) scenic loop affording spectacular landscapes over the countryside and the Atlantic. Clifden is also just a short drive from Connemara National Park – 3,000 hectares of wild beauty, including mountains, bogs and grasslands. There will also be opportunities to shoot the fairytale Kylemore Abbey on the tranquil shore of Kylemore Lough and the pristine location of Derryclare Lough, ringed by mountains and moors, with a pine-topped island. We’ll also be photographing Cong village – the main location for the John Wayne film The Quiet Man – and the nearby Ashford Castle, with its graceful six-arched bridge making for superb reflection shots in Lough Corrib.
What's included?
- One-to-one and group tuition with Tom
- Ten nights’ bed & breakfast accommodation
- Private rooms (no single supplement)
- Breakfast
- Post-processing techniques
- Transport to/from Shannon Airport
- Transport during workshop
What's not included?
- Flights/travel to Shannon Airport
- Travel insurance
- Any meals or drinks not mentioned above
Whether you’re a beginner or a semi-pro, you’ll find plenty to learn and enjoy on this workshop.
You’ll require either a digital camera with at least a 16GB memory card (minimum 32GB if it’s high resolution) or a film camera (SLR, medium, large or wide format) – Tom has many years of experience working with both.
Additional kit – a tripod, shutter release and polarising filter will help you maximise your shooting opportunities, although they aren’t essential.
September weather on the West Coast of Ireland is typically bright and mild, with highs of around 15-17°C / 59-63°F and lows averaging 9-10°C / 48-50°F, so pack clothes you can layer to suit the changing conditions. Given the geography, it’s often wet, so waterproofs are essential. You’ll also need good walking boots as some hiking will be required to access several locations.
To ensure you get plenty of one-to-one tuition from Tom, this workshop is restricted to just six participants, so book early to avoid disappointment.
If you have any questions about Tom's photography workshops, please check the frequently asked questions page. Alternatively, get in touch with Tom directly and he'll be happy to help you.
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