Carousing and other pursuits
At any time of year you can visit the Discover Ireland website and get a list of events that are taking place across the island of Ireland. For each month of the year there are lists as long as an average grown man’s arm trying to entice visitors to the country. Or if you are already here to try and get you to move around the island and spend your money. Mostly I look at what’s on listings to try and see if there is anything happening that I can make a point of missing. Then a couple of weeks later I can tell my wife it was on and say “We should’ve gone to that.”
I was very surprised this year when I looked at one of the more reliable listings and it only had one event noted for the whole month of March. This disturbed me because in the last few months I have seen my favorite coffee shop and book store close down due to the downturn. I have a real and genuine fear that the recession in this country will damage the arts and curb the progress that was made in the last decade. We have independent art galleries. The national gallery got new works and a face lift. We have a gallery of photography funded by the arts council of Ireland, a writers museum, signposted historical walks and so much more. But for the month of March listing after listing showed only one event. Saturday 17th March 2012 “St Patrick’s Day”
Saint Patrick or Patrick as he was originally know was born In Wales around 340AD. He was kidnapped by Irish raiders when he was 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped six years later and returned home to became a priest. When he came back to Ireland as an ordained bishop he proceeded to spread Catholicism throughout the land. Stopping only briefly to rid the island of snakes unfortunately missing Leinster House which had yet to be built.
In the dioceses of Ireland Saint Patrick’s day is a holy day of obligation and also a Solemnity. This means it replaces Sunday as the most important day in the week for religious observances. I am sure at this stage you can sense why I was concerned. According to my listing this religious holiday was going to be my only source of entertainment for the month of March. So it was with a heavy heart and a general lack of enthusiasm that I ventured into our capital city to see what sort of celebrations the local authorities had decided were appropriate to honor someone that has been revered as the patron saint of Ireland since the 7th century. I brought my camera to document the solemnness of the day.
Wrap The Green Crowd Round Me // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
Wild Colonial Boy // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
Officially Friendly // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
The Kerry Recruit // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
Strongbow // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
Johnny Jump Up // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
Cathleen ni Houlihan // Nikon F100 // Portra 160
Beyond The Stage Door // Halina 160 // Neopan 400CN
Making our City Cleaner and Greener // Halina 160 // Neopan 400CN
I enjoyed this posting tremendously. As usual your writing gets at some wonderful quirky kernel of truth and understanding. I think your use of film really hit the ‘atmosphere’ of the events you were photographing. Although I thought I was pretty much up to speed on things photographic, I had to Google Halina, and I am still not quite sure what 400CN is.- Is that . a chromogenic Fuji b&w film? Anyhow many thanks and have a great weekend!
Thanks Christian, you are spot on, the 400CN is a B+W film that can be processed in C41 chemicals. I have abot 10 rolls of the stuff that I picked up as park of a job lot when a local photography studio went out of business. I process it in B+W chemistry and I like the look of it. The Halina has had its very own blog post in the past http://awareofthevoid.com/2011/12/01/the-irish-family-doing-lomo-before-it-was-popular-or-profitable/ I like this camera for when I know I will be doing a bit of carousing of my own. It is impossible to break and if it did it would not be missed.
Lots of terrific portraits here, including your description of Patrick’s sojourn! But I especially love the ‘Stage Door’ photo. Just so rich!
Kathryn
Thanks Kathryn, I think that stage door one is my favorite from the day, I took it late in the day when I had already started to enjoy the festivities…..
seems people in the festival are very welcome for taking picture by others … but it’s absolutely difficult in hong kong :^0 anyway, luv the mood & tone!
Thank you Philsobe, anyone I approached was happy to have their picture taken, this is not always the case in Dublin but everyone was in a good mood.
i tried many times in hk … always receive “lemon” (in hk, we call receive rejection as lemon, aka sour & bitter) even im a gal and using film camera
That is a shame Philosobe, I know here my wife always gets a more open reaction if she is doing street photography, but interestingly she took a photo of a girl at an Asian food market last week and got shouted at! Maybe that woman was from HK.
hahaha … i guess they are very worry where their images will go. did someone told you that in Meng & Qing Dynasty, when camera first came to china, ppl thought that the paradox box to take their soul away! LOL
If this was really the case I have stolen a lot of souls…
soul – taker!!! very professional!
; )
great photos and portraits, I specially like the one of the street with all the hats (every year there’s more of them, it’s kind of surreally scary!) and the stage door one. Have a good Easter Monday!
Thanks Esther, always nice when you drop by!
‘Then a couple of weeks later I can tell my wife it was on and say “We should’ve gone to that.”’
That’s the story of my life. Nice collection of shots. Particularly like the black & white shots at the bottom, the street scene has a great vibe to it.
Thanks Stevie, I like that one myself. Taken with my drinking camera….
Love the portraits
Thank you, it was a really nice way to spend the afternoon and the atmosphere in the city was wonderful.
Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for the like otherwise I wouldn’t have found this great blog! Brilliant portraits, you’ve really captured the essence of St. Paddy’s. Makes me proud to have Irish blood! Looking forward to seeing more, you’re very talented.
Your picture posted to http://blissfulbelligerence.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/my-new-love-of-black-velvet-paintings/ really caught my eye. I have a friend that has been known to go out dressed just like Willy Wonka and it reminded me to give him a call. He even looks a small bit like him.
I enjoyed Paddy’s day hugely this year and I think it was because I went into the city with portraits in mind. Thanks for stopping by…
Your friend sounds hilarious!!
Well Grace Louise, I won’t lie to you. He is a cad and bounder…..but in a nice way.
I am wondering if I post this comment would it be considered libellous. LETS FIND OUT shall we.
Excellent work!
Thanks Phil, that is some compliment coming from you.
Nice pictures. I can feel to be part in the carousing..
It was a hoot, glad you feel like you were part of it.
love the Kerry recruit
He seemed unsure of why I would want his picture and then it dawned on him that he had painted half his face green.