donderdag, juli 27, 2017

New Book: IRELAND ON MY MIND.

After almost 30 years it is a strange experience putting these photographs into a book. Frankly, when I went to Ireland in 1988 I had not a clear idea what to expect. Ireland was a faraway country to me. Don’t forget there was no internet in 1988 to get information. Of course, I went into some brochures to get an idea of the landscape and the way the towns looked, and I read some books about the history of the country, but still it was a step into the unknown.
I never forget the day I arrived in Dublin. I was standing at the bridge over the Liffey and I felt immediately at home. The city felt very familiar to me.  This feeling of familiarity never left me during the trips through the country. Whether I was in Galway, or Cork, or at the West Coast, I always felt a kind at home: I had fallen in love with Ireland.
I wandered with my camera through the country as a curious lover. Going to festivals, cycling around, sitting in trains and buses, sometimes accompanied by wife Petra and my mother-in-law, the love for the country never disappeared. Ireland was always on my mind.

After some 25 years I came back in Ireland. The country had changed, I had changed. But my love for the country was still there. But that’s going to be another project. Ireland was still on my mind. It will always be.