From the Archives: Gruagairí

Back in 2007 I was asked to photograph rehearsals for an Irish language play called Gruagairí (Hair), which was produced by the Aisling Ghéar Theatre Company and performed at various venues throughout Northern Ireland, including Culturlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on Falls Road, Belfast. Written by Dave Duggan (writer of the Academy Award nominated short film Dance Lexie Dance), Gruagairí tells of two young friends who open a hairdressing salon together in Belfast, only to eventually discover that they want very different things from life.

The photos I took were used as promotional material for the play. It was a tentative foray into freelance photography and really enabled me to become comfortable photographing people.

From the Archives: Shed

From the Archives: Beach at Drogheda

Just a few photos taken back in 2008, when a few friends and I drove to Drogheda for the day. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of this beach.

Amongst the Dead

A couple of friends and I recently explored the ancient and very beautiful Friar’s Bush Cemetery in Belfast. Here is what we found. To read about the cemetery – and the various spooky stories regarding body-snatching, famine and cholera associated with the place, and those laid to rest in it – head over to my other blog Behind the Couch.

Marie in the Graveyard

This is my friend Marie. Along with two of her buddies, she visited Ireland last week from Missouri. Being the horror fiends we are, we naturally wandered around a few of the cemeteries here in Belfast, sharing ghost stories and creepy folk tales.

Marie is a folklore enthusiast and horror writer. She contributes to Fascination with Fear, Destroy the Brain and Film Addict. Her fiction has been published in Sanatarium Magazine and various anthologies. Check out some of her work here.

Louis MacNiece – Snow*

The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-window was
Spawning snow and pink roses against it
Soundlessly collateral and incompatible:
World is suddener than we fancy it.

World is crazier and more of it than we think,
Incorrigibly plural. I peel and portion
A tangerine and spit the pips and feel
The drunkenness of things being various.

And the fire flames with a bubbling sound for world
Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes -
On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of one’s hands -
There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses.

*This is probably my favourite poem – well, certainly one of my favourites. As soon as I saw the big pink roses in the snow at the bottom of my garden, I instantly thought of it and had the idea to take a few more photos to act as a visual accompaniment to it. I just happened to have some tangerines (actually I think they’re Clementines, but who cares) on the kitchen table, and a quick rummage around in my photo archive for the last shot of the cosy fireside and hey presto! A lovely photo-poem. A ‘phoem’, if you will.

Venturing Outside

It finally stopped snowing today, so I decided to go for a walk to Belvoir Forest and take some photos. Getting there was quite difficult; the footpaths are hazardously snowbound, so trekking along the side of the road was the only way to go. Wet feet ensued, but the crisp, fresh air made it worthwhile. Here be some photos of my journey…

Snowbound

It started snowing (well, to saying ‘snow’ implies gentleness – this stuff was more like a blizzard of perpetual sleet) on Thursday night, and only just stopped today.

Eels

A friend and I went to see Eels on Thursday evening. They played in the Limelight, Belfast. As you can see, I was quite far back from the stage. I eventually managed to get a couple of closer snaps of Mark (E) when the band cheekily ran back on stage after the show for one last song; when most of the audience had already dispersed and the stage was being dismantled! Go Eels!

Leaf Detail