Photo of the Day 467

Castle Near Kilgarvan, Ireland

Photograph by Sam Abell

The green countryside of County Kerry, Ireland, slowly reclaims a castle near the village of Kilgarvan. Taking its present name from the Irish Cill Garbháin, or Church of St. Garbhan, Kilgarvan rests on the banks of the Roughty River, which flows into Kenmare Bay.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ireland on Fast-Forward,” September 1994, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 272

Boat at Low Tide, County Mayo, Ireland, 2003

Photograph by Chris Rainier

A fishing boat, beached by low tide, leans against seaweed-covered rocks in Ireland's Sruwaddacon Bay. The waters of this picturesque estuary, located in County Mayo on the northwest coast, are in constant motion, emptying and filling the riverlike bay four times each day.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Far Edge of Ireland," March 2003, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 170

Sea Star, Ireland, 2005

Photograph by Brian Skerry

There are some 2,000 species of sea stars, such as this striped invertebrate off Ireland's Atlantic coast, living in all the world's oceans. Sea stars are famous for their ability to regenerate limbs, and in some cases, entire bodies. They accomplish this by housing most or all of their vital organs in their arms.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Beneath Irish Isles," March 2005, National Geographic magazine)