The drive between Mallow and Portmagee might be long, but it never fails to delight. On this day, a disappointment had a silver lining and reminded me to always bring a camera, even when I think I won’t use it.

We had finished our first dive of the day off Portmagee, but the conditions were less than ideal. For most of the dive, I could just about make out my buddy’s bright yellow fins a meter away.

It was a more than sensible decision to cancel the second dive, and I now found myself looking forward to driving home in the daylight and getting home early.

Just before Glenbeigh, I took a notion to detour left, head up over the mountain, and drop down to Rossbeigh Beach via the scenic route. Wow, this countryside is stunning, and the high vantage point provided a breathtaking view of Dingle Bay and the beach below.

Remembering that camera I’d brought “just in case,” I launched it and sent it far out into the bay to capture this extraordinary Irish landscape.