THIS INCREDIBLE clear photograph of a snow-capped Snowdon was taken from Ireland, 140 kilometres away.

Niall O'Carroll captured the exceptional photograph on January 12 at about 2.30pm. The keen photographer took the snap from the Ben of Howth, the summit of a large peninsula in suburban North Dublin, which is a popular scenic area.

It is also the closest area of land to North Wales anywhere in Dublin.

Niall, 30, said: "It was quite a dull afternoon but I noticed the views were very clear to the East and North of Dublin, which is usually ideal conditions to capture distant shots. Living around 20 minutes away I cycled up to this location, camera in tow, to check out the views.

"On the way up the hill, I already noticed parts of Wales were visible such as the Llyn Peninsula etc and I proceeded to the summit.

"Incredibly, the Mourne Mountains, Wales and the Isle of Man were all visible, even to the naked eye.

"I took several shots in each direction, some better than others, just to capture the amazing views.

"My camera also has an excellent zoom feature so it is usually good for capturing these distant shots."

Niall, who is based in Portmarnock, North Dublin, said the stunning scene was all "clearly visible to the naked eye."

"Literally all of Snowdonia from Holyhead Mountain to the tip of the Llyn Peninsula/Bardsey Island," he added.

Denbighshire Free Press: The photograph was taken in the afternoon from the Ben of Howth (171 metres), the summit of a large peninsula in suburban North Dublin. Picture: Niall O'Carroll The photograph was taken in the afternoon from the Ben of Howth (171 metres), the summit of a large peninsula in suburban North Dublin. Picture: Niall O'Carroll

"Obviously when I zoomed in with the camera I could get more detail, also using a filter to get more clarity, and I zeroed in on Snowdon as I could see it was still covered in snow.

"I was definitely taken aback with how clear Snowdon appeared in the photo, almost like a mirage, given the distance of 85 miles (137 kms) from my location.

"Usually when you get this view you only get a faint outline of the Welsh mountains, not actual details - ridges, rocks, ice - like in this photo.

"This was definitely the first time I've seen it covered in snow. It seemed like the sun was shining against it too, which made it even more clearly visible.

"I have seen North Wales/Snowdonia several occasions in the past from this location, and other high points in Dublin/Wicklow, usually pretty faintly but sometimes with more detail.

"Many people in Dublin/Ireland are surprised it is visible at all."

Niall initially posted his photograph on the Hiking Ireland Facebook page. He said the responses have "literally exploded" in the last two days, both in Ireland and North Wales.

"It has featured on several prominent social media pages and has attracted huge interest on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter," Niall said.

"As far as I am aware, it was a very rare capture and I have seen only one other photo from Ireland (taken the same day) with Snowdon visible with this level of detail."

Niall, who is considering doing photography and videography professionally, has visited North Wales several times (pre-Covid) but sadly didn't get time to explore the region.

"From what I saw of Snowdonia including Llyn Ogwen, Tryfan, Llangollen, the scenery and nature were stunning.

"I would love to go hiking/mountaineering in the area in the near future."

See more of Niall's photographer on Facebook or Instagram.