Not many people can comprehend leaving home on such a grand adventure without so much as a route planned, but that’s what I did. I bought a 1:25,000,000 scale world map and planned my route with a thick tip permanent marker in one swift movement.

The Irish have long had a great affinity with the water and despite it being perhaps a tad colder than most of the UK, ours is a strong tradition of outdoor swimming. In every corner of the country there are generations of folk who swim in all weathers and seasons, keeping the old swim haunts alive and thriving.

Belfast, like Manchester, Liverpool and many other post-industrial cities, is known for its terraced housing. Entire sections of the city are dominated by verisimilar rows of tiny, redbrick houses with doors which open straight on to the street at front and back.

Down in the Six Mile Valley between Ballyclare and Port of Larne is the town land of Ballyboley. Close to the junction of the old railway line from Larne to Ballyclare and Ballymena, can be found the now derelict Meharg’s Garage. It has been untouched since it closed in the mid 1980’s.

I’ve discovered that my country has so much more to offer than just its famously branded ‘Forty Shades of Green’ that the rest of the world seems to perceive. It is all these various colours, combined with its rich diversity of landscapes, that I aim to show within my photography. Ireland is a true playground for any photographer or adventurer.

Saffyre are a band unlike any other, with local beginnings performing at their local church weddings, they branched out into songwriting and other performances. These three leading ladies are sure to take the music scene in Northern Ireland by storm, with their angelic three part Harmony sang to perfection.

What can it be that prompts a 16-year-old student to leave his warm bed at 4am on a chilly night and make tracks for Whitehead? When it comes to Jodie McKee, it is a love of trains – and steam trains in particular.

Mountains probably more than any other feature of the landscape evoke strong emotions in us all, whether it’s because of their scale and grandeur, the thoughts of adventure and freedom they inspire, the significance given to them in culture and literature, or even the sense of mystery and spirituality that has always been associated with them.

Derek Halligan greets me with a smile and a friendly handshake. A warm welcome. Del, as he prefers to be called, leads me to what looks like an ad-hoc radio station. It is here where he spends his Sunday evenings DJing for Belfast 89.3FM. His set for the evening is contained within the aluminium case he is carrying in his right hand. A banana in his left