From a high vantage point in the drumlin country of County Armagh, I spotted a large plume of smoke heading into the atmosphere.

At first I thought it must be an industrial unit on fire, because of the sheer volume; this was no chimney fire.

As I descended to lower ground, I could see that it was coming from the direction of Newry, County Down, so I headed in the direction of the town and followed the dark skies close to main road.

Eventually I found a close place to observe and photograph the inferno.

It was clearly coming from a farm, I later found out it was indeed a pig farm that was afire.

This panorama of the fine late autumn Irish landscape with smoke rising thick through the sky gives an indication of the size and scale, the sun was obscured for much of the time that I was there.

Several fire brigades attended the sizeable blaze.

It was a landscape of smoke and fire.