Looking at this aerial footage of the Vee Pass, covered in rhododendrons, high in the Knockmealdown Mountains, in County Tipperary, you could be forgiven for thinking that this might be somewhere tropical or exotic.

Ireland gets a bad rap for its bad weather, that it's ever gray and sometimes gloomy, but John McMahon’s amazing footage proves those stereotypes very much wrong!

The film's maker, a local man, told IrishCentral back in 2016 that he chose to shoot this amazing footage as he knew that the area is transformed every year just for a few weeks when these vibrantly colored flowers bloom. He said, “I decided to shoot this area because the landscape completely changes for just a couple of weeks every year and I thought it would be fitting to capture it.

“As you can see in the video, with the rhododendron in bloom, the mountain turns a beautiful shade of pink or purple and not that many people know about it.”

The filmmaker told IrishCentral, “I shot the footage on a TGI Inspire 1 Pro Drone, which is a remote-controlled, professional photography drone that shoots 4K video.”

McMahon is originally from Ballyporeen, just a few miles away from this glorious spot. He now lives in Dublin but visits home regularly. As a local, who obviously knows the area well, we asked McMahon where he would send people, in the area for a Sunday stroll.

He responded saying, “There are lots of places to choose from in the area, but I'll pick a couple that come to mind. First, an obvious one is the Vee, which you can see in the video. This area has many beautiful, accessible walks. A second option is Glengarra Woods, where there's a lovely walk that leads up to Glengarra Lodge.”

After many years working for TV and production companies as a camera and lighting specialist and more recently as a VFX Compositor, he’s now working for himself. He describes himself as a jack of all trades when it comes to his work. He is currently freelancing in video production, web design and photography.

For more from James McMahon visit jampacked.digital or www.mcmahonstudios.com.

* Originally published in 2016, updated in May 2024.