The Magic of the Meadow

I was delighted to take some new promotional shots of Mary White, Director of Blackstairs Ecotrails and also my Mum! Together as a family we run Blackstairs Ecotrails, an ecotourism business in the heart of the Blackstairs Mountains in South County Carlow. It's a magical place to explore and it was such a special place to grow up in. The Old Rectory and a newly converted barn act as our base from where we lead guided hikes, workshops on foraging and wild food, herbal remedies and our annual wild food summer school in September.

We hope to inspire people to explore their own environment and begin to see the beauty that is all around us. One place our visitors always love to explore in summer is the wildflower meadow beside the house. We recently planted it with young oak trees and have let nature take over the rest. The wildflowers that have appeared are incredibly beautiful. 

I chose the meadow to photograph Mum as the sun set and she picked some Oxeye Daisies for the kitchen table. I wanted to capture the magical feeling of walking through a wildflower meadow, knee deep in grasses and poppies, buttercups and daisies. It reminds me of running through this same meadow as a child, hiding from the world, searching for fairies and making dens in the hot scented grass.  I was hoping to capture some of this childlike happiness with these photos and I hope perhaps I did. If you find somewhere like this,  run your hand through the grasses, breathe deeply and feel your spirit soar. It's a kind of magic!