Will you come with me to Ireland?
Two extraordinary things happened in Ireland last week. The first brought communities together in joyful celebration. The second united people in sorrow – but also in gratitude. In a country where people are proud to wear their hearts fully upon their sleeves, the extremes of joy and grief are profoundly felt.
Regular readers will know that I write mostly about photography. Mostly but not exclusively. This edition is a slight diversion – or perhaps more of an expansion.
If art is a means of expression, what is it an expression of? Through art we share our experiences, our common hopes and aspirations. We express our delight and our pain in ways that allow others to more clearly define those emotions in themselves. Sharing a work of art is how we extend our open hands towards strangers. That reaching is our invitation to connect, to build pathways along which we can walk towards those who share the same curious, confusing and sometimes uncomfortable experience we call ‘The Human Condition’.
I’ve been moved by the reactions to these two events in Ireland. So I hope you’ll forgive me if I side-step photography a little to share them with you. Together, they represent the gamut of human emotion, brought into sharp focus by the open-hearted character of the Irish.
A Gaelic Football Story
You don’t need to be familiar with Gaelic football in order to appreciate what happened in Dublin last week. But if you’ve never seen a game and are curious, here are some pointers.
Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland and Irish teams have been playing the game for more than 700 years. It’s fast, sometimes furious, always skilful.
Gaelic football scores can read like a train timetable:
Cork 1-20, Limerick 3-15
In Ireland, the game is deeply rooted in local communities. It’s played and supported with a fervour and passion that borders on the religious.
You can find an explanation of the game on YouTube but to appreciate the story that follows, knowing the extent of Irish passion for the game is more important than understanding all the rules.
The Curse of ’51
It’s 23 September 1951 and a memorable Gaelic Football All-Ireland final has taken place in Dublin. Mayo have beaten Meath to win Mayo’s second consecutive All-Ireland final. The team and fans are in celebratory mood as they head home after the match. They’ve won the big one, the Sam Maguire Cup is on the team bus, there’s singing – perhaps a wee drink or two – and they’re celebrating boisterously as they reach the tiny town of Foxford.
Meanwhile, a sombre funeral cortege is making its way slowly and quietly through the town. Oblivious to this, the party bus disrupts the funeral procession, invoking the ire of the local Catholic priest, who curses the Mayo team, “You will not win another All-Ireland final whilst any member of this team lives.”
Since 1951 and “the curse”, the Mayo team and their loyal fans have endured a 75-year losing streak. They have reached the final 11 times. They have been defeated 11 times.
Even in matches where Mayo look set for victory, the team ends up losing, often in the final minutes. In the 2017 final, for example, with the match between Mayo and Dublin level and moments left to play, Mayo are awarded a free kick and, with it, an opportunity to win the game. Cillian O’Connor, Gaelic football’s leading all-time goal scorer, steps up for the kick. The ball sails towards the goal, surely this is the long-awaited victory. The ball hits a post and bounces away. Seconds later, Dublin score a winning goal, Mayo lose again, and the Curse of ’51 remains unbroken.
The last living member of the 1951 Mayo squad, Dr Mick Loftus, died in 2023, aged 93.
The 2026 Mayo team have reached the All-Ireland final for the 12th time since 1951 – and for the first time without any members of the 1951 squad still alive to see it.
Eighty-two thousand fans are gathered inside Croke Park in Dublin – the third largest sporting venue in Europe – and over one million more tune in to watch the match. Can Mayo finally lift the cup after 75 heart-breaking years?
Mayo are underdogs and few are betting against their cup-winning opponents from Kerry. It seems likely that Mayo’s 75 years of woe will continue. The Irish Times sums up expectations, sharing “the almost regretful consensus that Kerry will inevitably win this weekend’s final.”
Here are the final 20 seconds of the match:
The Irish Times post-match report is written with characteristic Irish lyricism:
“Nothing else feels like this. Croke Park untethered, the whole place afloat for an hour on a lake of the sweetest tears that were ever cried. The people of Mayo, raddled and belittled all their lives, looking at each other in wonder and collapsing into each other’s arms. The decades of hurt and hope and loss all melting away forever… Mayo the champions. Finally and forever.”
Players past and present have sometimes been dismissive about the “Curse of ’51”. Some claim there was no priest. Some say it was a widow who uttered the curse. Some say a witch. Some have said that there wasn’t even a bus; they travelled home in the back of a truck.
What is undisputed is the joy felt across Ireland and beyond at seeing the Mayo team turn 75 years of frustration into victory. “Even some Kerry fans wept at the catharsis.” 1
Few who’ve ever played in or spectated at a sporting event could fail to be moved by the outpouring of joy and relief in Dublin. Seventy-five years of dashed hopes, generations of hoping and praying finally, gloriously rewarded. At the bright and sunny end of the emotional spectrum, you’ll find the Mayo team and the loyal Mayo fans in tearful celebrations, Croke Park, 2026.
I’ve compiled a gallery of pictures from the All-Ireland final courtesy of Getty Images. Enjoy the magic moments and appreciate the photographic skill that went into making them. You can also find a gallery of pictures in this Irish Times article.
Another emotional commentary on the final moments of the game followed by an interesting TV panel discussion can be enjoyed in this YouTube video.
“We were all supporting Mayo today.”
The Busker who won an Oscar
The second thing that happened in Ireland last week sits firmly at the polar opposite end of the emotional spectrum. It’s a story of unexpected loss that brought people together in a moment of grief. Yet, as you’ll see, there was gratitude too, an appreciative consensus for the gifts offered by one man, shared by many.
Musician and actor Glen Hansard died after a motorcycle crash near Dublin in the early hours of 29 July 2026. Glen was 56. He is survived by his wife, the Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son, Christy.
Glen began busking with a guitar on the streets of Dublin aged 13. To me, he’s always remained a busker at heart. A really excellent busker who you’d happily miss an appointment for, just to listen for an hour. He was a musician comfortable performing by himself, with just his guitar, in a way that seemed effortless, as if he was born to do just that. Whether on the street or in a pub or a concert hall or stadium, his performance was always direct and authentic. Music lovers responded to his honesty, to the simple, heartfelt songs that he wrote, to the music and lyrics that speak of yearning and heartache and affection and love.
The Irish Times published a collection of photographs after Glen’s death, A Life and Music Career in Pictures.
Here’s Glen and his band performing at Funkhaus in Berlin on his 55th birthday in April 2025.
In 2006 Glen starred alongside Markéta Irglová in the film Once, a “modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.”
Once is a tender, informal, low-budget film that looks as if it was made by a friend who followed the couple through Dublin with a handy-cam. And, essentially, that’s exactly how the film was made. Like Glen’s music, the film is entirely unpretentious, stripped-back, and modest.
Equally modest was the acceptance speech Glen made when he and Markéta won the Oscar in 2008 for Best Song, Falling Slowly, from the film Once. Markéta returns at the end to give her own memorable acceptance speech.
“Make art. Make art.” and “Fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up.” might be the two simplest but most helpful quotes ever heard at the Oscars.
Immediately after hearing news of Glen’s death, fellow buskers, musicians and fans gathered on Grafton Street in Dublin to sing Glen’s songs in a spontaneous display of affection.
Not only is the impromptu nature of the gathering something that would soften the hardest of hearts but, also, the vox pop interviews produce unplanned poetry that might only be found in Ireland.
“From paupers to presidents, he connected people through music and through love.”
“It’s young boys and girls with guitars and broken hearts….”
Thousands of fans queued to pay their respects at Glen’s wake on Monday. As Bono said at Glen’s funeral ceremony the following day, each and every one were Glen’s best friends.
Here’s just two minutes of fans sharing their thoughts about what Glen and his music have meant to them.
Glen’s Guitar
Fans will recognise Glen’s Takamine guitar, which he bought in a Dublin music shop aged 19 and played for the next 30 years. The holes in the cedar wood created by years of hard strumming when busking and performing on stage. Glen called the guitar “The Horse.”
“The Horse” has been resting beside Glen’s wicker coffin at the wake on Monday and again at his funeral on Tuesday.
I wish I’d been at this gig in Clonakilty in 2018 when members of the audience encouraged Glen to phone his mother. He sings the song he wrote for her with the phone resting on his knee and the final intimate bars with the phone on his guitar.
“Thanks, Ma.”
“He’s driven by a different emotion. He’s not doing this to work. He’s doing it because he has to do it. He’d be doing it on a street corner or in a pub if he wasn’t doing it here. It’s that simple. It’s who he is. It’s everything that he is. He’s a unique human being.”
– Ric Salmon , Manager
There are many albums and YouTube videos featuring Glen Hansard. I recommend this short documentary made during the Berlin Funkhaus concerts in 2025 and the recent live albums which can be heard on Apple Music (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) or, if you prefer, on Spotify (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2)
Thanks, Glen.
“It’s an amazing life being a street musician. It’s not just about making money and surviving. Not at all – it’s the opposite. It’s a complete wonderland, depending on your intentions. If you intend to make money, generally you won’t make much money and won’t meet anyone. But if your intention is to go out and sing a few songs and enjoy yourself, the world opens up. Which is a lesson for life.”
– Glen Hansard
Reflection
Between Mayo’s All-Ireland Gaelic Football victory and news of Glen Hansard’s untimely death lies, arguably, a full range of emotions – with tears at both extremes. Perhaps, actually, it’s not a range of emotions with joy at one end and heartache at the other, but a circle where tears wept in joy meet the tears wept in sorrow.
It’s taken a few days for me to appreciate what connects these two very different Irish stories. On the face of it, these are both stories that honour excellence. On the football field or in the concert hall, we recognise the prowess, the skill, the expertise, commitment and dedication which are necessary to produce a uniquely uplifting experience. But there’s more to these stories than the brilliance of one team or one man.
These are both stories about ordinary people finding a connection to something that moves them. It’s the reactions of the unnamed fans that resonate most deeply. The Mayo team members and Glen Hansard might live at the focal point, but it’s the emotional investment of the followers and fans which provides the light.
It took 75 years for the faith of Mayo fans to be rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime victory. Glen Hansard fans have felt the acute grief of loss but without their emotional investment, that pain would be absent. And they would be the sorrier for it.
We can never know for sure whether our emotional stakes will be rewarded with joy or sadness, but it’s likely there will be tears either way. Yet invest we do. Whether at Croke Park or a Dublin concert hall, we buy our tickets and open our hearts to the possibility of an emotional connection, be it happy or sad, winning or losing. The risk is the real price of entry, the reward is being reminded we’re alive.
The Wider Angle
New Irish Works 2026
Staying in Dublin, the International Centre for the Image is host to “New Irish Works 2026”, a collection of work by ten Irish photographers.
The work on show is diverse, from Austin Hearne’s “Slabs”, informed by the photographer’s distrust of the digital image, to Debbie Castro’s project about the effects of Alzheimer’s, “Age is a privilege, unless you forget!”
New Irish Works 2026 is open in Dublin until 9 August 2026, so my friends and colleagues in Dublin should head to North Wall this week.
Wellcome Photography Prize
A £10,000 prize fund is available to the winners of the Wellcome Photography Prize, which showcases work that explores health challenges and scientific discovery.
Mithail Afrige Chowdhury was awarded the Striking Solo Photography prize in 2025 for his picture of a mother and daughter enjoying a rooftop picnic in Dhaka. “With few parks left in the city due to rapid urbanisation, this staged moment, a simple attempt to give a child a taste of nature, becomes an act of resilience.”
11 Great Photography Podcasts
LensCulture have compiled a list of 11 recommended podcasts.
I’m not familiar with all of the podcasts on the list, but I shall be adding the Photo Ethics Podcast and the Photobook Podcast to my podcast app as soon as I’ve finished writing this paragraph.
Creating and Deepening your Visual Narrative
Magnum photographer Zied Ben Romdhane is hosting a workshop in the autumn. What’s unusual about this workshop is that it lasts five weeks and is entirely online.
Classes take place every Wednesday from 21 October to 18 November 2026 (although the website also says 2027, but I’m sure that’s a typo.)
As an online workshop, it’s a lot more affordable than most on-location workshops (US$ 1,000) and with a week between each class, it offers time to work on the lessons.
“The workshop encourages participants to question, observe, and refine their own approach to storytelling.”
And finally…
I had a small revelation this week. I purchased a pair of binoculars. Zeiss Terra ED Pocket 8x25, since you ask. It’s a purchase largely prompted by listening to Hollywood actor Sean Bean talk about his love of birdwatching on the Get Birding podcast.
The binoculars are small and light enough to squeeze into a camera bag, but they offer reasonable magnification. We often see black kites near our home and I caught a glimpse of a bird’s nest in a nearby horse chestnut tree. I wondered if a pair of black kites had taken up residence. The binoculars arrived and with some excitement I took a closer look and saw clearly that the nest belongs to… wait for it… a pair of pigeons.
Sometimes a mystery is best left unresolved.
There won’t be another newsletter this month. Paid subscriptions are on hold whilst I focus on work projects. I shall return after the Visa pour l’image Festival of Photojournalism in September. If you’re going to be in Perpignan for the festival, let me know.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer (or winter, depending on your location). Thank you for reading. I’m always grateful to know you’re out there and always appreciate your comments, ‘Likes’ and ‘Shares’.
Stay cool. Go well.
Come dance with me down the Rue Du Faubourg Saint-Denis Nous monterons dans l'escalier ver chez James et chanterons tout la nuit Come dance with me, à l'école Jaques LeCoq 'vec François et Olivier Et nous buvons à leur santé, et à cet grand aventure la vie Encore, encore – Glen Hansard – Sure as the Rain
✤ Creative Inspiration
Lateral-thinking prompts, inspired by Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies, designed with photographers in mind.
Read more and learn how to use my Creative Strategies for Photographers.
Beautifully-written. I always learn something new with your newsletters x
It’s such a beautiful reminder that connection is often what makes an experience meaningful in the first place. Thank you for sharing this thoughtful reflection 💖