Little bits of Lisbon

“A jack of all trades and a master of none.”

Some snaps of Lisbon taken during a work offsite with NatureFinance.

As a child, my dream career was to be a photographer working with animals who also worked at an environmental NGO. Not exactly the simple answer you’d expect from a twelve-year-old, but it accurately reflected my inability to pick a lane and my stubbornness to avoid forcing myself to do so.

This stubbornness did indeed work well for a while. I found myself studying zoology at University College Dublin, running a university society that organised clean-ups and having my part-time job which was to photograph life on campus. However, once I graduated, I felt the need to try and specialise. To choose one main direction so I didn’t fall behind all my peers who appeared to have a calling to one career or another. As a result, I entered the environmental sector after completing a masters in Climate Change at Dublin City University.

The problem with refusing fundamental parts of yourself to acknowledge a smaller portion of your ambitions is that the cost tends to be joy in the work. As a result of shutting down my creative side and keeping my head down to focus on ‘serious work’, I found my passion fading. Working in the environmental sector can be utterly draining when you don’t give yourself the space to enjoy the world you are working to protect.

As of now, I am lucky enough that I am in a role with a team that allows me to continue working in a sector that I am passionate about, while still being able to work as a photographer. Indeed, I have photographed a number of events that I have helped to coordinate in my role with NatureFinance. The photos below were taken after a week-long work offsite in Lisbon. I had a few hours here and there to wander around the beautiful city with my camera.

All of this is not to say that I will ever be able to have three parallel full-time jobs at once. It is a reminder to myself and others that you do not necessarily need to forgo parts of yourself to be successful in your career. Without creativity, we won’t solve the nature or climate crises - we might as well let ourselves enjoy that same creativity in our day-to-day lives.

“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” 

Taken in January 2024.

Sights of the Sea

I've always loved living beside the sea to the point where when I've gone away for extended periods, it's the thing I've missed the most about home. About a week ago, I decided to take an extended walk around the coast within my 5 kilometres and explore the various sites of the sea near where I live. Some of those sites even include the view of Dalkey Island from my old school (also pictured below: the school cat missing the students who are studying from home at the moment!). I'm under no illusions that I'm incredibly lucky to live where I live and during covid I think it's important to try, as much as we can, to focus on the things that you're grateful for rather than to dwell on the things we can't control. If the sea is somewhere you haven't been able to get to due to the covid restrictions; hopefully, these photos remind you of the places that are waiting for you as soon as this is over. If you're like me and you've reconnected a little bit more with nature and the sea because of covid, hopefully, these photos remind you to get out and away from one of the many screens we're looking at these days for a small while.

If you want to take some memories and sights of the sea into your own homes, I'm delighted to announce that I've recently released a limited series of prints of various see swimming spots around South Dublin. You can check them out at the shop page on this website.

Christmas Time in Dublin City - An Ode to Procrastination

Over the last few weeks, I've been lucky enough to have the chance to live in the city centre temporarily. This time also happened to coincide with four deadlines for my studies and an incredibly hectic time during work. So of course, I decided to spend my time procrastinating and documenting my time around the city during the Christmas season. Here's the thing about procrastination: procrastination without a cut off point is incredibly dangerous. However, procrastination which enables you to try something you'd typically put off can be a lovely thing.

Now that the assignments are in and work is finished for the year, I'd like to thank the people in my life who put up with being sent countless links to stupid Twitter threads and videos and I hope you enjoy this little project which brought me a lot of joy during a stressful time. More importantly, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Season despite all the uncertainty out there at the moment!

The Art of Tag

When people ask me how I came to spend my summer photographing Tag Rugby, I generally always laugh and say 'I don't know how I got here'. I've yet to play a game, but I was happy to try photographing something different. I've come to realise that Tag Rugby is both incredibly fun to capture with a camera and just like most other sports: A group of people coming together to create a tight-knit community that love their sport. Since Dublin has moved back into level three, Tag Rugby has been put to a halt again. For anyone missing their weekly game, I thought I'd put together a collection of some of my favourite photos from over the summer league.

Thanks to all the lovely players who were incredibly friendly and kind to this fly on the wall (or pitch) for the season and to ITRA! Hopefully, see you all soon.

The Silhouettes of Home

“There are not many original shapes or silhouettes -- only a million variations.” - Charles James    

Below is a compilation of photos from my local area in Dublin that I’ve taken over the last few years. There’s less of a focus on the people and more how the area accommodates them.

The Same But Different - Covid_19

We’re living through a dark point that will be forever in the history books. Sometimes that’s hard to take in and we try to just get on with things. For that reason, I thought I’d take my camera out and try to take in the differences to our every day lives at the moment via photograph.

Photographs were taken on the 28th of March 2020 within 2km of my home in Glenageary. Social distancing of two metres was practised at all times.

Stay safe and help flatten the curve and as Seamus Heany said: “…If we can winter this out we can summer anywhere” (As spotted on my walk).

London through a 50mm lens

Last week I visited friends in various spots around London with my camera and 50mm lens in hand. Below are some of the snaps I took in a few locations around the city including Broadway Market, Clapham, Brockley, The Natural History Museum and Hackney Wick. Thanks to my various tour guides!

Fathers and Sons

Around this time last year, I met with Damien to discuss a series of photographs he wanted to create in order to commemorate his father and grandfather, Patrick Weldon and Thomas Weldon (nat. December 19, 1919). The way in which he chose to do this was by visiting areas around Dublin in which soldiers from WWI and other battles fought were commemorated such as the Irish National War Memorial Gardens and St. Patricks Cathedral given both his father and his grandfather were soldiers themselves and much of their war memorabilia was kept and taken care of as a sort of tie to the people involved. A few months later, when Damien returned to Ireland from his home in San Francisco, we photographed the final series of photographs. Damien paired the final images with the writings of Henri Nouwen, “The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Meditation on Fathers, Brothers and Sons”. With his permission, I’m sharing the final piece:

In mem. Patrick Weldon et Thomas Weldon (nat. December 19, 1919).

Quis nos separabit a caritate Christi?
- Apostoli Ad Romanus Epistula Sancti Pauli VIII:XXXV

Photography Joanna O’Malley
Writing Henri Nouwen, “The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Meditation on Fathers, Brothers and Sons”

Photographed in Dublin, Ireland on May 31, the Feast Day of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2019.

© 2019. All rights reserved.

This place has not always been there. I had always been aware of it as the source of grace. But I had not been able to enter it and truly live there.

The invitation is clear and unambiguous. To make my home where God had made his. This is the great spiritual challenge.

“The time has come to claim your true vocation - to be a father who can welcome his children home without asking any questions and without wanting anything from them in return. .. We need you to be a father who can claim for himself the authority of true compassion.”

I have come to know in a small way what it means to be a father who asks no questions, wanting only to welcome his children home.

In the context of a compassionate embrace, our brokenness may appear beautiful, but our brokenness has no other beauty but the beauty that comes from the compassion that surrounds it.

“Faith is the radical trust that home has always been there and always will be there.”

… the true voice of love is a very soft and gentle voice speaking to me in the most hidden places of my being. It is not a boisterous voice, forcing itself on me and demanding attention.

I am loved so much that I am free to leave home. The blessing is there from the beginning.

Without trust, I cannot let myself be found.

Generosity creates the family it believes in.

The grief is so deep because the heart is so pure.

It might sound strange to consider grief a way to compassion. But it is.

Our human brokenness can be acted out in many ways, but there is no offense, crime, or war that does not have its seeds in our own hearts.

And still, after a long life being a son, I know for sure that the true call is to become a father who only blesses in endless compassion, asking no questions, always giving and forgiving, never expecting anything in return.

Many thanks to Damien for allowing me to be apart of something quite personal and for allowing me to share it with the world.

Strolls in Strandhill

A few weeks ago I headed west for the weekend with some of my ex zoology class mates to Sligo. On the first day the camera was put firmly away so that the experiences such as attempting to surf could be enjoyed without the fear of destroying an expensive piece of equipment. However, on the second day we headed to Strandhill to enjoy the market and sights that the area has to offer. Here are some photos from our stroll along the sand dunes, to the forest, and ending up in the local market which was celebrating its fifth year of existence that weekend! If you’re heading west I’d definitely recommend giving Sligo, and indeed Strandhill, a visit. Its lanscape and scenery is so beautiful and unique!

The Indigo Sessions

There's an odd thing happening in Ireland at the moment. An explosion of creatives all desperately trying to break their way into the crowded scene. More people are becoming photographers because of Instagram; there are now college degrees you can do in Dublin that you can enrol in if you know you want to enter the music industry, and creating an EP is easier to do now more than ever. So how are people overcoming the new hurdles of an over-saturated market? The answer is that they are creating new opportunities. The indigo sessions are a brand new showcase of new talent in the indie scene in Dublin. Curated by Rebecca Locke, it claims to be an exciting new staple of music nights in the city centre. I attended their second ever gathering and learnt a bit about what it's like to be at the very early stages of trying to break into the music industry in Ireland.

The performers of the night were: Lisa Gorry, Seamus Bradley, White Boy of the Month (Conor O'Boyle), Rebecca Locke and Kenan Flannery Music. Most were singer/songwriters except for Seamus Bradley who is a spoken word performer. However, they all had entirely different sounds, and there was something for everyone.

Also present and volunteering their talents during the evening were Roisín Whelan and Gemma Bovenizer. Roisín was running stage management and is the chair this year of the Circle Sessions which takes place in The International Bar as well as an intern with the Ruby Sessions. Gemma is a UCD student and photographer who works with the Thin Air Magazine and over the last few months has entered the world of gig photography.

While most of the acts have experience gigging around Dublin, all of them would be considered new enough to the music scene. As the Indigo sessions is in its early days, Rebecca is aware that to find talent to perform, she doesn't have to look too far. Each performer is connected through Locke. Lisa and Seamus having connected with her through the circle sessions, Conor O'Boyle through UCD, where they connected through the Music Society on campus and Kenan Flannery is a music producer while not performing and is working with Locke on her debut single. Rebecca put it well when she said she just wanted people to hear her talented friends play. However, talking to her, it is clear that she sees a future where the performances will grow beyond that and encourage a new opportunity for the vast array of talent Dublin has to offer.

There's something wholly encouraging as someone who's also attempting to be a creative in an over-saturated market that is Dublin to see such initiative and positive empowering environments for young artists created by other artists. What connected all the acts was not only Rebecca Locke but also their desire to perform and share their passion as well as cheer each other on in their endeavours. Here's to that!

Easter in Wexford

Every year during Easter over 60 relatives ascend somewhere in Ireland and take over a holiday village. The tradition started with my grandad’s generation when his sisters and brothers decided to meet up. Given that it’s Ireland they eventually grew too big as a family and had to take the family gathering on the road. This year we headed to the Sunny South East Wexford in Ireland and stayed around the Hookless area. Here are some photos from the long weekend. I will add that the last photo was not taken by myself but the lovely Neil Mitcheson!

New York

New York is a city unlike any other. You come across every kind of person there and around every corner is a different type of neighbourhood. What I found oddly surprising was the huge sense of community you would come across accidentally while taking a stroll near the local park beside your Air BnB. If you’re looking for tips and tricks I did pick up a few of them during my two week stay last summer.

• Staying in Brooklyn instead of Manhattan is far cheaper

  Although most people want to stay in Manhattan because it contains the classic scenes you’d expect to find when visiting New York, it is insanely expensive. If you move out to one of the other burrows you’re far more likely to find cheap accommodation. As well as that, Brooklyn is incredibly hip and there is a huge amount of hidden gems you’d miss if you spent your whole time in New York in Manhattan.

• If you want to visit the Top of the Rock, go to Bar 65 instead

  As long as you’re over 21, this is an alternative to seeing the same view one level below. You pay 20 dollars for a cocktail which seems expensive until you realise that an adult ticket to the Top of the Rock costs 36 dollars and an additional 10 dollars if you want to visit during sunset. So why not enjoy the view with a cocktail instead. If you go for this option be sure to be dressed respectably as they do have a dress code!

• If you want to save money do the Staten Island Ferry instead of visiting Liberty Island

  Visiting Lady Liberty is one of the staple tourist things to do in New York. However, the Staten Island Ferry is completely free, goes every 15 minutes and you get a view of Lady liberty without having to pay to go to Liberty island or give your neck a workout by having to look up the entire time to see the woman herself. You also get lovely views of Manhattan and Brooklyn as an added bonus!

• There’s a secret cocktail bar above a Five Guys in the West Village

  I actually didn’t get the chance to visit this spot but my friends who arrived a few days before me told me about it! They just stumbled across the Five Guys and were very confused at all the very dressed up people walking through the fast food joint. They wandered in and had fun having a few cocktails after burgers and didn’t mind in the slightest being the worst dressed people there.

• The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is free entry every Friday from 4-8pm

  Admission is free for all visitors during every Friday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. It’s generally pretty packed though and so to avoid long lines, try to arrive after 4pm. Also, during our visit, two kind strangers donated us their day passes (as we arrived before the free admission hours) after they were finished their visit and so if you do pay maybe pass on the favour and make someone’s day!

Thanks to Sophie and Tom for providing me with most of these tips in the first place. Thanks to the lads for heading to the big Apple with myself for fun times and to everyone I ran into while over there, you’re only great!

Namibia

In the Summer of 2017 myself and three friends headed to Namibia in Africa for three weeks. For two of those weeks we travelled around the country in a 4X4 which doubled as our accommodation! Throughout our trip we stayed in numerous campsites, went on safari and saw some of the most beautiful animals in the wild such as a pride of lions and a rhinoceros. Overall I would recommend this amazing country, not just for its stunning sand dunes right beside coastlines or landscapes in general, and not just for its wildlife but for all of these aspects collectively combined with the fact that it is one of the most safe and friendly countries I’ve ever visited and there is a huge respect for the natural world there.