Pollacapall Lough, Kylemore Abbey (Mainistir na Coille Móire) & Victorian Walled Gardens, Connemara, County Galway (Ireland), early March 2013: Just a few miles from Ireland's weather beaten Atlantic coast, the Benedictine monastery with its castle, gardens and park is one of my favourite places on the Emerald Isle.

The look and feel of the valley changes dramatically with the seasons and the light, and this tree to me symbolises so eloquently the harsh climatic conditions as well as the wayfaring spirit of the Irish, with an estimated 50 to 80 million worldwide considered descendants of a people which today counts a little under 6.5 million inhabitans on the island itself, close to 4.6 million of whom in the Republic of Ireland.

And if you are looking for further photographs of the general area, try out Peter McCabe (the one at photoimagery.net).

This particular photo an exhibition print at Allianz ArtForce3, Munich (10-12/2014). Photo copyright Joachim Schroeter