Cover image for Dublin Inquirer print edition #102

Dublin gets a bad rap and never quite lives up to its promise of a major player in global capital cities. We look on in envy at the more beautiful and opulent Londoners, Parisians and New Yorkers. But every now and then the glimpses of the cosmopolitan city it aspires to be makes an appearance.

What makes any city great is it gathers people from all walks of life. It sets the stage for memorable and fleeting interactions with people you will never see again. People in Dublin are on the move, going places, in taxis, bikes, on Dublin Bus.

It is a city in crisis with skyrocketing rents, homelessness. But it is also a city of theatre- and concert-goers, where you celebrate milestones and socialise and a place to sometimes get dressed up for. Its beautiful cultural and historical buildings hark back to a time of hope and ambition.

I took this photo not far from the Smock Alley Theatre, which people were spilling out of, dressed up to the nines. It captured what I love about cities, the grit and glamour, the dirt and dapper. The everyday Dublin is there with the quays, overcast skies, old, uneven paths, rain, Dublin Bus out of service, double yellow lines. In contrast we have two well-dressed men, reminiscent of old-school glamour, on a mission. Where are they going? Where have they been? Why do they look so worried? Who is waiting for them? What is their relationship?

What I love about being around Dublin or any city is getting a glimpse into the inner world of strangers, creating a story in your mind. As a child all I wanted to do was to escape the suburbs and go to the city, to be at the epicentre of new ideas, trends, culture, beauty. Dublin didn’t always deliver on that notion and its glamorous past I saw in old archive photos has mostly vanished. But every now and then we can take a break from reality, dust ourselves down and embrace the promise of our capital city.

I am a secondary school teacher and amateur photographer. I enjoy taking photos of people, and in particular places I spend time in Dublin, Wicklow and Italy. My website is here, my Instagram here, and my Linktree here.