Devil’s Drama

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard water sound this angry before! After days of relentless heavy rain, I knew the local rivers would be swollen, but I still wasn't quite prepared for the scene at Devil’s Glen.

I took a walk down into the gorge, and the sound hit me long before I even saw the water. The Vartry River was absolutely bursting at the seams. It’s usually such a peaceful spot for a Sunday wander, but today it was pure, unadulterated chaos. I decided to shoot this in black and white because colour just seemed to distract from the sheer texture and force of the spray.

Here is an interesting thing about this spot: the gorge gets its name, "Devil's Glen," from the sound the waterfall makes. Legend has it that before the dam was built upstream, the roar of the water echoing off the canyon walls sounded like a satanic scream during a flood. Standing next to it today, with the ground shaking under my boots, I can absolutely see where they got the idea!