Irish roads can be dangerous. twists, turns, dips, potholes, mud, loose chippings and view-obscuring hedges are just some of the plentiful hazards. In the countryside, those hedges are peppered with gaps and gates, and if you’re driving at any kind of speed, those gaps can be like little subliminal blips of beauty, giving micro-second scenes that you wish you could keep. So now, I’m driving slower, and watching for places to stop. Often I miss, but note the hard-shoulder, indent or gateway to stop another time. Here are a couple of spots I’ve stopped in the last few days.