"Night News" - an occasional missive from the darkness Vol.15 No.1

"Fortunately, art is a community effort - a small but select community living in a spiritualized world, endeavoring to interpret the wars and the solitudes of the flesh." - Allen Ginsberg

_______________________________ Happy 2013 to you all - things are beginning to heat up for the New Year! And so, we present this special report (our 57th NightNews!) now - with a very important announcement . . .

Cead Mile Failte - Irish for a "hundred thousand welcomes" This year marks the long-awaited return to my favorite place on earth to photograph (both night and day!) and lead tours: the beautiful, magical West of Ireland! As with some of our past treks, The Light of Ireland, is offered thru Strabo Tours for 11 days - July 15-25, 2013. The treks that we've made in past years were truly great trips - rich cultural, as well as photographic experiences! I'm not sure if you knew this, but I have traveled to the West of Ireland many times, starting in the 1980s. Amazing changes in the "Celtic Tiger" during that period - and since - yet, many things (especially in the West) remain much the same. Truly a magical place, where the landscape and history ("timescapes") are deeply intertwined. The past is never far away, in Ireland.

I will be leading this trip as I did in 2001 and 2002. Ireland is a very special place for me. In addition to having relatives in Northern County Mayo and County Sligo, as I've said, I have traveled many times to the area, starting in the early 1980s - with Workshops offered by Ron Rosenstock, the very photographer whose Hillcrest House (a former Bed 'n' Breakfast, registered with the Irish Tourist Board) will be our home base, while in the West of Ireland. Located midway between Westport and the village of Newport, in County Mayo – it is from there, that we will set out on daytime and nighttime excursions to discover and share the beautiful light and spirit of Ireland.

Much more a Photo Tour than a Workshop,my role is more like a tour guide, interpreter, in a way. And of course, our Irish guide, Olcan Masterson, a local musician, is such a great asset on the trip. It is really a cultural tour, that just happens to include a LOT of photography (including night photography, for those brave hearts who are so inclined!).

All the images seen here - like the one (to the right) of Thoor Ballylee (the tower home of William Butler Yeats) in County Galway; or the red doorway (above) near the town centre in Westport, County Mayo; were photographed on previous trips and Photo Tours to Ireland. All images ©Tim Baskerville

Our schedule will keep us busy, but there will be ample opportunities to relax and enjoy the sweeter, gentler pace of life on the Emerald Isle. The frantic schedules of our daily lives will dissolve into peaceful days of total immersion into our Irish adventure. Sound interesting? We can talk about it more, sometime soon, if you'd like. Also, I can put you in touch via email with people who have taken the Tour previously, and they can fill you in on some of the great points about the trip, from a participant's perspective, if you'd like. Have you been to Ireland before? England? Europe? Any relatives in that part of the World? To see images done on an earlier PhotoTour we did, check out some of participant Mike Quinn's images (and commentary!) - on The Nocturnes site: www.thenocturnes.com/workshops/Eire2002/index.htm Also, check out this page of Night Work (and reflections) from another of our trips - www.thenocturnes.com/workshops/mayonight.html - by yours truly. We hope you find these images and details helpful as we prepare for our trip to the Emerald Isle in July. Should be interesting/entertaining - whether you can make the trip, or not! We will keep those interested in the Tour updated, sending out periodic missives about the trip, along with travel hints, inspiring images, musical treats, readings, and reflections on the West of Ireland. If interested, please email me - basket[at]thenocturnes[dot]com or call: 707-645-9860 - to receive occasional communiqués that will appear in your INBOX as Links to The Nocturnes Blog, which has been commandeered and will serve as "The Nocturnes in Ireland - 2013" Blog. Hope you enjoy this virtual tour of the West of Ireland! Maybe see you in July . . . ? Tim Baskerville Essential URLs: Tour - http://phototc.com/tours/details/the-light-of-ireland Blog - http://thenocturnes.blogspot.com

_____________________________ "So, you really should VISIT more often . . ." The Nocturnes family of Web sites: http://www.thenocturnes.com http://thenocturnes.blogspot.com http://www.timbaskerville.com http://www.thepanocturnists.com