Infinite Ireland

An Gailge ... thats Irish to the uninitiated...

2011-03-18T23:21:00.000Z

What I miss about home is... An Gaeilge, the Irish language. It used to drive us nuts in school; some of the teachers were great and others were more fanatical that good. I miss it now...

Our office manager is Irish and sometimes we speak as gaeilge, much to the consternation of our English workmates. It's handy at Christmas too when we want to talk in front of the kids about their presents, but they know the words for money and present now...

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2011-03-16T22:26:00.001Z

May the luck of the Irish be with you all! Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Dingle... An Daingean

2011-02-23T22:35:00.001Z

What I miss about home is... Dingle. But the old Dingle, An Daingean as we say in the mother tongue. Its all change now though. A tourist town, not the fishing port and west coast village that it used to be, At least not as I see it.

Ice Cream

Hot Dogs

Chilli Dogs

Crepes

Fish and Chips

On my first visit to Dingle, I was 16 or 17. It was a school trip, we stayed in Dun Chaoin for three days and hiked around the area. I found a horse shoe by an old stone wall. Little did I know that I would marry a girl from the Kerry, but I did. Maybe the horseshoe brought me that piece of luck!

We all change. I guess Dingle, An Daingean, can be no exception. It can't be all open fires and soda bread baking with a drop of poitin on the side board under the glare of a Child of Prague. If only.

Guardian Angels

2011-02-13T13:14:00.000Z

What I miss about home is... guardian Angels Church. This was our parish church, and still is my mother's, when I lived in Ireland. A marvel of 1960s architecture, featuring concrete bricks and pilasters and stained glass windows. it was opened in 1967. This church was and still is an integral part of the community.

2011-02-09T19:07:00.000Z

What I miss about home is... Walking in the country lanes just outside Tralee town. Its the place where my one true love grew up and left to be with me. Tralee is also the place where the world famous Rose Of Tralee beauty pagent takes place where girls from all over the world descend on the town. I always enjoy the times Catherine and I would walk through these lanes and roads, the peace, the quiet and the countryside is idyllic.

Irish Pubs...

2011-02-04T07:48:00.000Z

What I miss about home... is Irish Pubs. The warmth and friendliness is known the world over.

Tralee - Inside

But if you ever go to Ireland you will notice that outside the pubs, be it at the back, or on the main street, rows of kegs...

Dublin - Outside

Cork - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Adare - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Hector Greys

2011-01-11T13:19:00.000Z

What I miss about home is ... Hector Greys.

A toy shop second to none. At least that was the way it was back in the day. Any trip into Dublin always included a visit to the shop. It was like an Alladin's cave, you never knew what treasures you might find in there. Do you remember a particular toy shop from your childhood?

Victorian Dun Laoghaire

2010-10-04T21:15:00.000+01:00

what I miss about home is... Victorian Dun Laoghaire...
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Victorian Dun Laoghaire

This is the view from the promenade that leads up to the East or Bandstand Pier. Many a time my Aunt used to take me and my brother here to catch crabs and shrimps and marvel at the mail boat coming in and going out. We would look across the bay to Howth... down the coast to Bray.

Is it just me or have these places changed? A different type of people congregate here now.

Once again I am reminded of Marietta biscuits and orange lemonade...

The Heineken Building

2010-09-01T20:08:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... the Heineken Building, at least that's what we all called it in our house.
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The Heineken Building

I think it was a late 60's office block. I don't know who designed it, but it definitely is one of Dublin's better 'skyscrapers'. Perched on the corner of O'Connell's Bridge like a sentinel guarding it... we used to use it as a landmark to meet near.

Stillorgan Obelisk

2010-07-07T18:51:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... Stillorgan Obelisk.
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Stillorgan Obelisk #1

The Obelisk is nestled in what is now a housing estate at the top of Carysfort Avenue leading into Blackrock. Designed by Edward Lovett Pearce, it was erected as a memorial to those who had perished in a famine in the early 1700's. I always wanted to climb up it, but never did. It is iconic and appears on the skyline as you walk to and from Stillorgan, Blackrock and the surrounding areas.

Stillorgan Obelisk #2

Blackrock Baths

2010-06-12T14:56:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... Blackrock Baths. We used to swim here when we were kids. Built by the railway company in 1839 for the locals. Use declined in the 60's, partly due to heated indoor pools, where most of us learnt to swim. In the late 1980's the baths closed and were been sold to a developer, whom I believe is considering high rise flats...
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Blackrock Baths #1

Blackrock Baths #2

We would sit on the timber slats on the tnad and watch the other swimmers. The water was cold, and there was the occassional piece of green seaweed floating by... The seats are long gone, the windows to the dressing rooms have all been smashed and the place is covered in graffiti, some of it not very savory.

Blackrock Baths #3

We never jumped off the top diving board, but we did off the bottom one; great memories, that sadly can never be re-lived. I can even taste the sea water...

Blackrock Baths #4

Blackrock Market

2010-06-03T19:38:00.001+01:00

What I miss about home is... Blackrock Market. Situated in the middle of Blackrock, the Market is a place I go back to whenever I am home. You can buy everything there, well, almost everything... but thats good enough for me.

Blackrock Market #1

Blackrock Market #2

Blackrock Market #3

Blackrock Market #4

Blackrock Market #5

Blackrock Market #6

Blackrock Market #7

Blackrock Market #8

A truly wonderful piece of Ireland and a place where I could easily spend a fortune... and sometimes do!

Custom House...

2010-05-31T22:07:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is Custom House... built in the 18 century, Custom House is one of James Gandons most important works as an architect. It is an iconic building that stands on the north side of the River Liffey. Its grand facade is a reminder of Georgian Dublin past; ironic that it now looks over to the New Dublin on the south side of the river.
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Custom House #1

Custom House #2

Custom House #3

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The original Gandon interior was destroyed by fire in the 1921 Rising.

These shots were taken on an old Lomo LC-A film camera, one evening a long time ago. The film was Ilford XP2 Super, a chromogenic film that I had processed as colour, hence the sepia tone. This is how the shots were printed - no manipulation whatsoever!

Carlisle pier, Dun Laoghaire

2010-05-28T16:52:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... the Carlisle Pier in Dun Laoghaire, it was used by the mailboat which sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead. The pier was built between 1855 and 1859 I believe, and I am told was named after the Earl of Carlisle, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Carlisle Pier #1

Carlisle Pier #2

The trains from Dublin used to come into this siding. I remember it as a kid; they seemed full of potential - I always wanted to know where the people were going. The reality is they were leaving Ireland to seek their fortune over here in England.

Carlisle Pier #3

The terminal building is a 1960's design and was closed in 1980. The demolition began in 2009, but I am not sure if it has been fully demolished - I haven't been home in a while.

Carlisle Pier #4

Carlisle Pier #5

Carlisle Pier #6

All that is left of the Victorian age is the cast iron columns that still hold up wrought iron trusses as they look longingly over to what has replaced them. I can't help thinking that the new terminal doesn't have the same presence as the old one...

The Doors

2010-05-12T22:03:00.001+01:00

What I miss about home is... Georgian Doors. The country is full of this wonderful aspect of Georgian architecture. What draws me to them in particular is the intricate design of the fanlights. Wonderful circular, elliptical, square even, windows with delicate timber beading; the only light that was let into the entrance halls of the great town houses;

Georgian Doors #1

Georgian Doors #2

Georgian Doors #3

Georgian Doors #4

Georgian Doors #5

Georgian Doors #6

I always used to wonder what it must be like to live in such a house in Merrion Square, or Ballsbridge... Sadly now, a lot of them are offices or flats. Their past splendour is just that; past

Ashe's Pub

2010-04-26T19:38:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is ... Ashe's Pub in Camp on the road out towards Dingle, deep in Co. Kerry.
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Ashe's Pub #1, Camp, Co. Kerry

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A real old world pub, not many left...
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Ashe's Pub #2, Camp, Co. Kerry

Dun Laoghaire Harbour

2010-04-15T18:50:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... Dun Laoghaire Harbour. I used to go fishing there, off the Coal Quay and the West Pier.
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour #1

Its all change now... the marina has arrived...

Dun Laoghaire Harbour #2

and the yacht reigns supreme. I doubt there are many shoals of mackerel there now...

Ha'penny bridge, Dublin

2010-04-11T16:37:00.002+01:00

What I miss about home is the Droichead na Leathphingine; the Ha'Penny Bridge across the Liffey in Dublin.
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Ha'Penny Bridge #1

The Ha'Penny Bridge was built in 1816; made of iron and cast in Shropshire; it originally replaced ferries that crossed the Lifey. A toll of a halfpenny was levied on those using it and there were turnstiles at both ends. The toll ended in 1919.

Ha'Penny Bridge #2

Ha'Penny Bridge #3

Dun Laoghaire Victorian Shelters

2010-04-07T19:31:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... the Victorian carriage shelters along the promenade next to the East Pier. They have now been refurbished to something of their former glory, but are kept shut, locked, never to be used again. Shame.
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Victorian Shelter #1

Victorian Shelter #2

Victorian Shelter #3

Dublin Castle

2010-03-31T22:41:00.001+01:00

What I miss about home is ... Dublin Castle. I get the creeps as I walk through its demesne, thinking of the past and what it must have been like to be there...

Dublin Castle #1

Shop Door Mosaics

2010-03-29T19:58:00.000+01:00

What I miss about home is... shop door mosaics. They used to be part of the shopfront on so many shops; I remember them especially in chemists; set back between the stall risers on either side, they are largely a thing of the past as all possible space is given over to stock.

Shop Mosaic #1

Shop Mosaic # 2

Lá Fhéile Pádraig...

2010-03-16T19:07:00.000Z

What I miss about home is ... St Patrick's Day. Memories of the parade, a day off school, shamrock and a harp shaped badge on a piece of green ribbon...

Bratach na hÉireann

Not to mention, for those of us old enough... the pint of Guiness...

The Obligatory Pint

Train Journeys...

2010-03-10T19:27:00.000Z

What I miss about home is... train journeys; to the city, to the seaside and daytrips during the long summer holidays. Marietta biscuits, Miwadi orange, Tayto crisps and if you were really lucky, a Cadbury's Snack. Happy memories of sand in the sandwiches and the sea air in our faces...
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The Dart.

IE Train #1

IE Train #2

The Luas

Seapoint and Blackrock

2010-03-07T17:30:00.001Z

What I miss about home... is walks from Blackrock to Seapoint and the views toward the twin chimneys of Pigeon House power station in Dublin to the north and Dun Laoghaire to the south; watching the sea and the sky...
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Seapoint #1

Seapoint #2

Seapoint #3

www.noelhannan.com is live!

2010-03-06T20:42:00.003Z

I am very pleased to say that my new website 'The Infinite Moment', is now live! I have spent the last week getting the portfolio together, editing the photographs, writing the copy and burning the midnight oil. And I am shattered! But it was worth it.

I want to thank all those who helped make it happen and offered the encouragement that I needed to get it done; Catherine, Cein and Katy, my family and most consistent critics! Also to my good friend and photographer Glyn Dewis, who helped me no end!

Do drop in and have a look and let me know what you think!

Child of Prague

2010-02-25T23:20:00.000Z

What I miss about home is ... The Child of Prague statue that every, and I do mean every house had.

Child of Prague #1

They were always there; in a press (a cupboard if you are reading this anywhere else but Eire) on a press, a sideboard, a wardrobe, a hall, a living room, anywhere, but somewhere; the Child of Prague Statue was there.

Child of Prague #2

To be Irish was to have one standing proud and declaring your religion, your nationality even. You could spend the rest of your days photographing each and everyone of them.

And another thing; there was always a crack across the neck, the head having come off worse in a fall. Who knocked them? It wasn't me, honest...

General Post Office; GPO

2010-02-21T16:34:00.000Z

What I miss about home is ... the GPO... I never tire of just wandering about there...
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GPO #1

GPO #2

GPO #3

GPO #4

Dublin Buses... revisited...

2010-02-21T16:28:00.000Z

What I miss about home is... what I always missed; the Bus
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46A #3

46A Bus...

2010-02-10T23:20:00.000Z

What I miss about home is... the 46A Bus, or rather, I used to miss it all the time...
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46A #1

This was the view I usually got of it... when I was chasing after it...

46A #2

Dun Laoghaire, East Pier

2010-02-09T23:07:00.000Z

What I miss about home... is... Dun Laoghaire, the East Pier, or what we used to call the Bandstand Pier. I spent many an hour fishing off this pier, walking along its length, sitting at the end gazing out to sea, watching, wondering and waiting.
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East Pier #1

East Pier #2

East Pier #3

East Pier #4

East Pier #5

East Pier #6

This was the last view many had as their loved ones set sail to make their fortune in England, back in the days it was the Mail Boat, now its the HSS. But the sentiments are the same, when will we see them again...?

Martello Towers and Pigeon House

2010-02-09T13:10:00.000Z

Martello Tower, Blackrock

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What I miss about home is...on the strand toward Dublin, a walk back in time by the Martello Towers with the unmistakeable chimneys of Pigeon House power station in the background.

What I miss about home...

2010-02-08T23:02:00.000Z

... apart from Sally O'Brien... Thats what this blog is all about. I shall be posting the things that I miss about Ireland, about Dublin, about Kerry, and just about anything else that I miss about the country where I grew up.
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GPO Postbox #1

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This photograph, the one that makes up my blog header, is a post box outside the infamous GPO (General Post Office) on O'Connell's Street in Dublin. And the labels say it all...
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... Atha Cliath, agus, gach ait eile...
...Dublin, and everywhere else...