PARKS AND GARDENS

MR SQUIRREL WAS DISAPPOINTED

April 28, 2023 by infomatique

BECAUSE I DID NOT GIVE HIM ANY FOOD

A few years ago, while visiting the Botanic Gardens, I overheard a woman complaining to a member of staff that she had been bitten by a squirrel.

Until recently they often had red squirrels feeding on the ground, especially around Pine Hill. Since 2005, however, they have not been seen. Red squirrels are displaced by the introduced grey squirrels, which are able to eat unripe nuts, thus outcompeting the red squirrels by eating most of the food resources before they are palatable to the reds. The spread of pine martens across the country is often a forerunner of red squirrels successfully making a comeback so they may return from the populations on Howth Head and Killiney Hill. Although the grey squirrels are delightful to watch, please remember that they are wild animals – not pets, they often bite.

MY FIRST TIME TO VISIT EAMON CEANNT PUBLIC PARK IN CRUMLIN

April 23, 2023 by infomatique

23 APRIL 2023 – I USED A SIGMA DP1 QUATTRO CAMERA

Eamonn Ceannt Park in Crumlin is named after one of the executed leaders of the 1916 Rising.

Eamonn Ceannt Park is located between Sundrive Road and Clogher Road, in the Crumlin area of South Dublin City. It includes numerous mature trees, an athletic track, playing fields, tennis courts, basketball court, children’s playground and a state of the art cycling velodrome.

Crumlin covers the area from the River Poddle near the KCR (Kimmage Cross Roads) to Sundrive Road and Crumlin Cross at The Submarine Bar to Crumlin’s village core and the Drimnagh Road, to Bunting Road, Crumlin Road then along the Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge to Sally’s Bridge. It is situated near to the city centre, on the Southside of Dublin city. Neighbouring areas include Walkinstown, Perrystown, Drimnagh, Terenure, and Kimmage. Crumlin is contained within postal district Dublin 12.

A few years ago i was offered a Sigma DP1 Quattro at a very good price and while I had a bad experience with all my previous Sigma cameras I decided to accept the offer especially as the camera could produce .dng images but, as you may have guessed, there were many problems that can be really annoying.

The DP1 Quattro is a fixed lens camera aimed at enthusiasts who demand the best image quality in a reasonably portable form factor. Announced in September 2014, it’s a unique camera in many respects, employing an unusually-shaped body, a fixed focal length lens and a sensor unlike any outside of Sigma’s range. It also eschews modern features we take for granted on other new cameras such as Wifi or even a movie mode. The DP1 Quattro is all about still photo quality.

ÉIRE MEMORIAL RESTORED AND RELOCATED WITHIN MERRION SQUARE PARK

April 21, 2023 by infomatique

BY JEROME CONNOR

I used an iPhone 12 Pro Max to photograph one of my favourite sculptures in Merrion Square Public Park.

Éire Memorial (1974) By Jerome Connor (1874-1943) – Restored And Relocated Within Merrion Square Park

In 1928 Jerome Connor became involved in a proposal to create a memorial to the Kerry poets, which was to commemorate four leading Gaelic poets of the 17th and 18th centuries at Killarney. He chose a figure of Éire holding a harp seated on a rock, possibly inspired by Walt Whitman’s poem Old Ireland in Leaves of Grass (1861). The unstrung harp was based on the 1621 Cloyne harp in the National Museum. The work went as far as a full-scale replica in wax. However, due to the limited funds available, Connor agreed to forego his artist’s fee and charge only the costs of production, indicative of a personal commitment to this project in his native country.

Despite its allegorical subject, it is a highly realistic piece of modelling but opponents of the scheme blocked payments in 1932 on the grounds that it was “pagan” and lacked religious symbolism – an instance of the narrow religious prejudices of the time. Payments to the sculptor ceased which precipitated his bankruptcy and subsequent poverty. The sculpture was not completed in his lifetime but was cast in 1974, funded by Downes bakery, and placed in Merrion Square, but without the planned pedestal and inscription.

Éire Memorial, Merrion Square, Public Park, Restored And Relocated, Jerome O’Connor,leading Gaelic poets of the 17th and 18th centuries at Killarney, harp,lacked religious symbolism, pagan, public art, sculpture, Ireland, William Murphy, Infomatique, Apple, iPhone, 12 Pro Max,

THE DUBLIN UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE SHOW GARDEN IS IN BETTER CONDITION THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR

April 19, 2023 by infomatique

PHIBSBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Back in 2014 when I first photographed this garden I commented as follows: ‘I must admit that I was somewhat unimpressed if not totally disappointed by this garden now located in the grounds of Phibsboro Public Library. In my opinion the setting is not at all suitable and elements [the pool to name but one] appear to be missing from the prize winning garden. I suspect that little of this will remain in two or three years due to lack of maintenance and appropriate attention. Note: The water pump may need a service as it appears to be rather noisy.’

Today, 19 April 2023, it was in an acceptable condition but the water elements have been removed which is a pity especially as the garden is named ‘River Run’

ST STEPHEN’S GREEN 15 APRIL 2023

April 15, 2023 by infomatique

SONY NEX7 CAMERA AND 18-105MM LENS

Cared for by the Office of Public Works, the park is an important public resource in the area, and provides an oasis of green calm in the middle of a bustling city. Its four centuries of history are eventful and complex, involving such important figures as Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, and Countess Constance Markievicz. The park itself hosts a large number of important sculptural monuments to Irish history. Many species of birds and plants also call the park their home. Public facilities at St Stephen’s Green Park include a playground and a garden for the visually impaired.

A few days ago I discovered that I had a Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens which I do not remember buying and what is even more confusing is that I do not purchase anything other than full-frame lenses. Sony describes the lens as follows: This G Lens for E-mount cameras delivers stunning still or movie imagery with the flexibility of 6x power zoom. Maximum aperture is a constant F4 from 18mm wide angle to 105mm medium telephoto, with excellent resolution and contrast throughout. A lever and ring on the lens barrel allow zoom speed to be freely adjusted as required while maintaining a sure, stable grip.

When I used the 18-105mm lens with my FX-30 camera [APS-C sensor] I was very disappointed with the results as many of the images had focus issues or suffered from motion blur. I could not decide if the lens was the problem or if there was something wrong with the camera body so I used a Sigma 14mm lens yesterday and the results were more than acceptable. However, before concluding that the lens was substandard I decided to try it with my very old NEX-7 body [purchased Christmas 2011].

The Sony α NEX-7 is a digital camera announced 24 August 2011 by Sony. It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and as such inherits a smaller body form factor than a traditional digital single-lens reflex camera, while still retaining the sensor size and features of an APS-C-sized model. It is targeted at experienced users, enthusiasts and professionals. It is replaced by the ILCE-6000 (α6000). At the time of its release, the Sony Alpha NEX-7 had the best image quality among any mirrorless interchangeable-lens compact camera which had been tested by DxO Labs and also the best APS-C Sensor camera from Sony. Sony α65, Sony α77 and NEX-7 have similar sensors and received DxOMark Overall Scores of 74, 78, and 81, respectively. The image quality of NEX-7 can be comparable with Nikon D7000 (score 80) and Pentax K-5 (score 82).

I failed to reach a conclusion but I do like using the NEX-7 even though I need to bring at least four spare batteries with me.