A half-Moon peeping out from between the trees. #astrophotography

The train of course 🙂

There's a single Darwin's Barberry bush brightening up the canal towpath opposite #Maynooth station, I presume it's a garden escape, but regardless, loving it's splash of bright orange in the January grey! #Bloomscrolling

A typical Irish winter walk along the #RoyalCanal with the spire of St. Patrick's College #Maynooth visible between the bare trees.

A typically tranquil grey winter day along the #RoyalCanal near #Maynooth.

These fiery-orange bare willow branches really brighten up the winter landscape in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth.

Bare trees don't have to be dull and boring — just look at these ruby red tree branches in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth!

There's clearly some kind of heating element under the hood of the VW I.D. 4, presumably to keep the battery or some other electronics comfy on cold days!

#Physics, it works!

Racing the train — joggers and an #IrishRail Commuter service heading towards #Maynooth along the #RoyalCanal

Let's Talk Apple 148, the show for December 2025 with @bartb.ie is out: lets-talk.ie/lta148 The three main stories are India's failed attempt to force-install a government app on all cellphones, an eventful month for apple's App Stores, and an even more eventful month for Apple's HR department.

The east-bound transatlantic flights to European cities are heavily clustered, so when atmospheric conditions are perfect for contrails, the highway in the sky over Ireland becomes obvious for half an hour or so as the cluster passes. This time it lined up with the #RoyalCanal near #Maynooth!

This very tame Grey Heron let me get close enough to see down the bank all the way to their reflection! #bird #wildlife #RoyalCanal #Maynooth

A still Irish winter afternoon on the #RoyalCanal just east of #Maynooth as an #IrishRal Commuter train approaches.

One last 'hero shot' of the #Lego #StarTrek Enterprise D in her perfect pose.

The #Lego #StarTrek Enterprise D is the best joint Christmas present myself and the better half have ever bought 😀 — 6 fabulous evenings together under the tree building. The design is delightful, some fun little hidden gems for the builders, and a BEAUTIFUL new ornament for our living room!

We have an action-packed show for the start of the new year, thanks to @[email protected], George from Tulsa, and the awesome @bartb.ie! www.podfeet.com/blog/2026/01...

An #IrishRail InterCity reflected in the #RoyalCanal as it speeds away from #Maynooth, starting the last leg of its cross-country trip from Sligo to Dublin.

A proud male Mute Swan paddling up the #RoyalCanal past #Maynooth railway station.

Wishing everyone a healthy, joyous, and fulfilling 2026!

This has to be the most original wreath I've seen hanging in any door in #Maynooth this year.

The pathway to enlightenment? Crepuscular rays seen through the trees in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth.

Crepuscular rays over Co. Kildare as seen from the big hill in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth.

@bartb.ie heard me say when I moved my server that I didn’t really understand all of the DNS record stuff @[email protected] told me to do. In this nerdier-than-usual CCATP, Bart explainsand teaches us about email sender validation. www.podfeet.com/blog/2025/12... #ServerAdministration

My #Lego #StarTrek #Christmas tableau 🙂

The Co. Kildare landscape looking towards #Maynooth from next to Tyrconnell tower high on the hill in #CartonHouse on an idyllic winter afternoon.

Reach for the skies! (taken in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth)

A winding winter path in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth — rather than snow and ice, bare trees and green grass are more common in Irish winters, and when you're very lucky, blue skies too 🙂

When you think "winter colours" you probably think white frost and snow, but in #CartonHouse you can also get rich blues and greens from the clement Irish climate, and amazing oranges from The bare willow branches.

The Christmas displays in the main hotel reception in #CartonHouse near #Maynooth is always impressive, and 2025 is no exception!

An idyllic winter evening along the mirror-smooth #RoyalCanal just east of #Maynooth as an #IrishRail Commuter train is reflected in the water.

All my photos from the 2025 #RPSI Dublin - #Maynooth Santa Special steam trains. This was the first big outing for newly restored No. 171 Slieve Gullion, and she performed as well as she looks — great! Thanks to the amazing RPSI volunteers and #IrishRail. glass.photo/bbusschots/series...

Bare winter trees reflected in the #RoyalCanal just east of #Maynooth. Seeing the canal this smooth is a rare treat!

A Grey Herron on the #RoyalCanal. This shows the power of the modern pro iPhone camera system at its best — the amazing 4x telephoto and impressive DOF simulation via portrait mode. #bird

An #IrishRail Commuter service slowing down for the signal protecting #Maynooth station along the banks of a perfectly still #RoyalCanal

While admiring the various reflections in the #RoyalCanal a splash of colour caught my eye. This is not a rainbow, it's 22° above the very low sun, making it a tangent arc. They're sikilar to sundogs, but appear directly above the sun at the same distance the sundogs to the sides.

Let's Talk Photo 147 "Adversity as an Opportunity" with @bartb.ie is out: lets-talk.ie/ltp147 Bart shares his experiences chasing steam trains in the run up to Christmas 2025 as an illustration of how adversity can be a learning opportunity if you approach it with the right mindset.

Winter reflections — I entertained myself while walking along the #RoyalCanal on a calm winter afternoon by finding places where the reflected trees on the far bank matched the shapes of the reeds on the near bank. This was the best match I spotted, and I think it makes for a pleasing composition!

The soft low winter sun was picking these ivy leaves out perfectly — a nice burst of green in the middle of winter!

To all of you who celebrate it, hope you have a peaceful and joy-filled Christmas with plenty of tasty food in the company of those you love, and remember to let your inner-child shine through 🙂 🎄

The beam rising up from the spire in as part of the 2025 Dublin Winter Lights (https://dublinwinterlights.ie/) really is impressive — I snapped this near #Celbridge!

My last shot of former #GNRi 4-4-0 steam loco No. 171 Slieve Gullion working the last of the steam-hauled #RPSI Santa Specials of 2025. She performed wonderfully, and sped past the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at #CartonHouse near #Maynooth. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! 🎄

A peek at former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion through Pike Bridge at the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at the entrance to #CartonHouse pulling the last steam-hauled #RPSI Santa Special of the 2025 season out of #Maynooth.

An #IrishRail Commuter train passing under Pike Bridge at the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal opposite the entrance to #CartonHouse near #Maynooth.

An #IrishRail Commuter train racing towards #Maynooth on the picturesque section of the #RoyalCanal beteeen the 13th lock and Pike Bridge.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion passing the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at the gates to #CartonHouse as seen from Pike Bridge with the last steam-hauled pulling an #RPSI Santa Special of the 2025 seanson. No steam as she's coasting towards the #Maynooth approach signal.

An #IrishRail Commuter service from Dublin passing the Duke's Harbour on the #RoyalCanal at the gates to #CartonHouse as seen from Pike Bridge as it slows for #Maynooth on a dull December day.

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion working an #RPSI Santa Special tender-first along a beautiful rural stretch of the #RoyalCanal east of #Maynooth.

As the wind picks up the steam from former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion swirls down and onto the #RoyalCanal towpath east of #Maynooth as she pulls an #RPSI Santa Special back towards Dublin tender-fist. Thankfully she was running clean, smelled like an open fire when it hit me 🙂

Former #GNRi 4-4-0 #steamLoco No. 171 Slieve Gullion with it's clean white steam contrasting against the December clouds as she works hard accelerating an #RPSI Santa Special away from the sharp turn in the line and #RoyalCanal at #Leixlip Louisa Bridge.