THE IRELAND COLLECTION

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My trip to Ireland started as a quest to discover my roots. I was looking for answers

about my family heritage and ended up returning with a series of works which capture my love of antiquated architecture mixed with nature and topped off with a human element.

The weather at the time of my trip played strongly into the style and format of these

photographs. It was winter with frigid temperatures and overcast skies. Because of the absence of light, I was forced to use a faster speed of film. What’s more, the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease was widespread so there was an air of sadness blanketing the country. Despite these circumstances, I drank in the landscape, old castles and time-honored Irish pubs as if they were mugs of traditional Irish beer.

Perhaps it was the time of year or maybe the culture, but I did all this with a sense of warmth, barely feeling the cold. As I trudged the back roads with my camera and luggage, I didn’t feel like a stranger in the land, but rather like family. Word spread that there was an “American” passing through and I was invited to stay with families in their farmhouses where the women packed my lunch and sent me off each day with a belly full of hearty stew and homemade fruitcake.

I tried to incorporate those feelings of geniality into my photos by drawing the viewer’s eye into the image. My hope is to convey the rich heritage of the emerald isle during a time of hardship and provide those that view my work with a taste of the warmth and kindness that followed me throughout my trip.