The Strand in Tramore features some of the highest dunes in Ireland. These protect a large area of tidal salt marsh known as the Back Strand and in its own right is a treasure trove for nature lovers and bird watchers. The whole area and is a designated Special area of Conversation.

The area is quite popular with local walkers and can certainly provide some great interaction with nature. The further you walk along the strand the less likely you will come across people and can certainly provide some solitude if that’s the goal. The one thing I notice was how quiet the internal valleys of the dunes were when compared to the seaward sections of the area. You can go from the invigoration of a wild sea front walk, blasted with sea spray and the therapeutic sound of crashing waves to almost complete silence and calm surrounded by the distinctive smells of the dunes in a matter of a few minutes walk. This contrast in atmosphere can certainly add to the experience and the visual impact of the dunes can provide a soothing effect especially when surrounded on all sides the rolling hills of marram grasses.

My original intention for this project was to embrace the pastel colours and textures that are often evident in sand dunes. On most of my visits however the light turned quiet harsh even if they were shot at dawn or sunset. I feel now that the dunes really lend themselves to this type of light, creating quiet hard and deep shadows, which can push the contrast of these images further than I would usually go, but I feel it works well in such a graphical landscape.

These dunes have also unfortunately been witness to tragedy in the past, the Rescue 111 helicopter crashed here in heavy fog in 1999 on the return from a successful rescue near Dungarvan. A lone cross and some personal tributes mark the location in a secluded area of the dunes and is a reminder of that young crew’s sacrifice while helping others.

I will post a part 2 to this project shortly focusing more on colour images in quiet different conditions to those evident in most of these images. I will also refer briefly to the conservation of this very delicate and distinctive environment.   

You can click on any image to see it full screen, and thank you for reading this post. Part 2 can be seen here

Regards

Kieran