Photobooks of 2016 - Humans of Dublin

Peter Varga's ongoing project is now published in book form

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"I thought she was very rude cos she came to my party and she just sat down on my couch, without even introducing herself. So we initially hated each other from the very start, but every time I went to someone's party, she was there too. A few times we got drunk enough to start talking and found out we worked close to each other. One day we met on our lunch breaks, and since then we're together 10 years. We just got married a few months ago. Love is a weird thing"

"...Last time a guy told me how he discovered his wife is cheating on him with his best friend. It was so sad, not only because of the story, but he was crying, so what do you do? I started to cry too... And it doesn't look very professional when all the other passengers are watching you crying with a stranger... I often feel more like a therapist than a flight attendant after these long flights."

"I was just on my way to the American sweet shop to buy some Gatorade, when I saw this guy in his 30s sitting on the ledge of the bridge. I just thought, "wow..." I stopped and asked him if he was okay, but I knew from the look in his eyes he wasn't, and he didn't say anything either, but I saw tears coming from his eyes. I pleaded with him for a while to come down and sit on the steps, and eventually he did. "

"The turning point of my life was a young girl in 1999 walking by with her boyfriend at Christchurch on New Year's Eve. It was lashing rain and I was sitting on some concrete steps with my long hair and beard, listening to the bells, wondering where my family were and how they were. Out of nowhere the young girl kneeld down in front of me, and like an angel with her blue eyes, said 'Hi! What's your name? I had to think. Nobody calls you by your name on the streets."

"'Oh Nina (she said) we're having so much fun and I'm so drunk. I love you loads and please remember that you are never alone. You are never alone.' I answered that I love her too, but to be honest I was a bit surprised with her message because we were in touch regularly but we didn't really tell each other very often that we love each other. Within a few hours the driver in her car fell asleep and they crashed into a tree. She died immediately."

"Depression is like a bottomless black hole in my chest, where my heart used to be. It leeches all of the colours from the world, turning everything to the same dull shade of grey. That pit of despair keeps growing; swallowing all of the light and happiness inside me until one day, there is nothing left but the pain. Depression makes me feel ashamed. " All photographs by Peter Varga from Humans of Dublin published by Gill Books

Sun Dec 25 2016 - 05:00

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