Photobooks of 2017 - Man on the Bridge

Man on the Bridge - More Photos by Arthur Fields, compiled by Ciaran Deeney and David Clarke

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1934 - My grandfather, Michael Healy, and my father, also called Michael, aged six. The older Michael was born in Mayo in 1874. He was a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) from 1895 until disbandment in 1922, serving mainly in Sligo and finishing with the rank of sergeant. He spent some time in London when he left the RIC but came back to Ireland and was married in Dublin in 1925. He had three children; my father Michael was the middle child and the only boy - John Healy

1966 - My dad, Denis, my brother Barry (on the right) and me, from Grove Road in Finglas East. We were dressed in our Sunday best, so I think the photo was taken on Sunday 13 March 1966. Nelson's Pillar had been blown up by Irish republicans on the Tuesday. Town was packed. Our mother was heavily pregnant with our younger brother at the time, so didn't come to town to witness the aftermath. In later years my dad explained that losing the pillar was a part of history. Looking back, it's great to have history captured in photos - Pat Murphy

1954 - My mother (left), my aunt, my older brother and myself with a Dan Dare badge pinned to my coat. My aunt would come up from Kilkenny to our home in Crumlin and stay with us for a week or two. During that time she would take us out for ice cream to Cafolla's ice cream parlour on O'Connell Street and of course their ice creams and famous knickbocker glory were always in sundae glasses ... they were the days of old. To get the Dan Dare Badge, I pestered my dear mother to save up enough labels from Horlicks jars to qualify for it. I was a member of the Horlicks Spacemen's Club. - Eric Gurey

1964 - My dad, Sean Harkin, and me. He was originally from Leitrim and worked for CIE as a fireman when trainswere fuelled by coal. In the late 1950s, when diesel engines were introduced, he was made redundant and got a jobin Aer Lingus as a maintenance operative in the hangars. He met my mother, Joan McGibney from Inchicore, in ClerysBallroom in Dublin and they settled on the north side of the city to be closer to the airport. I'm the eldest of sevenchildren. I love the way I'm looking up at him as he looks at the camera. I treasure this photo and feel lucky to have itin my possession. - Deirdre Flannelly

1965 - This photo of my friend Noeleen Byrne (right) and myself was taken in 1965 one Saturday on one of our weekly trips into town. We were on our way to shop in She Gear boutique, which was on the top floor of Roches Stores in Henry Street. This boutique was very popular with teenage girls at the time as it sold all the latest fashions, including Mary Quant black and white nail polish, which we loved. Sometimes we just browsed and listened to the music they played (all the latest hits). We were about fifteen at the time and weren't allowed into town at night. Taking the number 78 bus into town every Sunday to meet up with friends in Cafolla's café was one of the highlights of our week. Sometimes we went to Morosini-Whelan's in Henry Street to dance to a band called The Creatures. This was next door to Arnotts, where I worked as an apprentice carpet sewer. We also went to the Adelphi, Savoy or Capital cinemas to watch the latest films. This photo brings back so many good memories. - Noeleen Baneham

1962 - Myself , Marie Greene (now Marie Quinn), on the left and Ann Kerr. This was the first time we met up after leaving school in 1961. Ann went to nurse at Portiuncula Hospital and I went to nurse in the Channel Islands. It was my first holiday back in Dublin and I met up with Ann, my old school friend, on her day off work. We had a lovely day in Dublin and were delighted with our photo - Marie Quinn

1939 - Gordon Brewster with his children, Dolores and Richard. This photo was taken in 1939 during a shopping expedition in town. Gordon was arts editor and chief cartoonist with Independent Newspapers. He was also a regular customer of my mother's shop, The Gem in Howth, and he died suddenly in the shop on Bloomsday, 16 June 1946. His death in my mother's shop sparked an interest in me and I did some research into his life, which led to his family giving me this photograph. He was a very talented and somewhat forgotten artist; the National Library of Ireland has recently acquired a set of some 500 of his cartoon originals. - Pól Ó Duibhir

1967 - My fiancée, Patricia Burke. I met her purely by accident in Easter Week 1965. I was a member of the Dublin pop group The Blue Diamonds and we were playing a gig in St Anthony's Hall in aid of the Taxi Driver's Federation. We were married in 1969. Back then, I was always interested in photography and although I had aBox Brownie camera, the only informalphotos you were likely to have as a couplewere most likely those taken by the street photographers of the day. And if you wereon a date in Dublin and you wanted a photo to share, you made sure to walk across O'Connell Bridge. I particularly love this image of Patricia taken on O'Connell Bridge as she made her way to meet me in July 1966. The photo has stood the test of time and makes a clear fashion statement of its day. - Denis Tipple

1945 - My mother, Mary Ryan (née Noonan), on the left, and her best friend, Josie Leddin, from Howardstown, Bruree, County Limerick. My mother was a Munster champion cyclist in her day and competed in cross-country bicycle races. The two friends had taken their bicycles to Dublin on the train to visit Mary's sister. In 1945, during the Emergency, trains had more space for bicycles than for humans as cycling was such an important part of life. - Madge Ryan

1954 - The Dufficy sisters from Tulsk, County Roscommon. Left to right: Eileen O'Shea, Martha Casserly, May Donaldson and Kathleen Donaldson. I am the toddler in the pushchair, my brother Robert is in the middle pram and in the other pram is my cousin George Casserly, who sadly drowned at the age of two, about ten months after this photo was taken. My mam Kathleen (on the right) passed away at the early age of 38 leaving four young children, and her sister May married my dad and reared myself and my three brothers. The Dufficys were a very close family and even to this day we, as cousins, keep in touch with each other. Eileen and May had a hairdresser's shop in Cabra. - Amelia Punton

1954 - My mother (left), my aunt, my older brother and myself with a Dan Dare badge pinned to my coat. My aunt would come up from Kilkenny to our home in Crumlin and stay with us for a week or two. During that time she would take us out for ice cream to Cafolla's ice cream parlour on O'Connell Street and of course their ice creams and famous knickbocker glory were always in sundae glasses ... they were the days of old. To get the Dan Dare Badge, I pestered my dear mother to save up enough labels from Horlicks jars to qualify for it. I was a member of the Horlicks Spacemen's Club. - Eric Gurey - All images from Man on the Bridge; More Photos by Arthur Fields, compiled by Ciaran Deeney and David Clarke, published by The Collins Press, 2017

Tue Dec 26 2017 - 13:10

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