Reflections on the state we’re in: Capturing the faces of modern Ireland

Photographer Deirdre Brennan has been turning her lens on the people of Ireland

'What I think of Ireland? That is a very bad question to ask a German,' says Daniel Holtzschlag.

Has there ever been a more photographed era in human history? While smartphones may have made snappers of us all, Irish photographer Deirdre Brennan takes things to the next level. “I love combining image experimentation with historic and social research,” says Brennan, who has marked the Centenary of the Irish State this year by creating a series of portraits of the people who make up our population today.

This simple idea acquires magic in Brennan’s hands. Her subjects pose for their close-ups with a hand mirror, itself as old as the State, while musing on the state we’re in. Their thoughts are an illuminating mixture of the positive and the negative, tinged with pride, gratitude, critique, optimism and concern.

“As with all stories, it takes months of research and thinking to figure out the aesthetics,” says Brennan, who was inspired by a Francis Bacon postcard tacked onto the wall in her studio. Finding the right mirror proved tricky, until one day she turned onto a street she had never been down before and discovered the shop Pretty Vintage Belfast.

“I wandered in and asked mother and daughter proprietors, Mary and Mandy Rosenberg, if they would have a hand mirror. Mary disappeared beneath the counter and emerged a few minutes later with a beautiful 1920s Bakelite mirror. The minute I saw it I knew that it was just perfect for the project.” The shop, she adds, “is a treasure trove and well worth the visit”.

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Originally graduating from the National College of Art and Design, Brennan spent time in New York, before returning to Dublin where she now lives. She still works with the New York Times, where her subjects have included Hilary Clinton and Mary Robinson; and her work has appeared in Time Magazine, Newsweek, Stern, the Smithsonian and more. In 2008, she was named one of the 10 Women Who Wrote History With Their Cameras at the International Photojournalism Festival, Visa Pour L’Image.

Brennan’s next project, Looking for Brigid, is being made to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the Saint’s death with portraits of Brigids around the country. Some believe the saint to be even more ancient, evolving from the Celtic goddess Bríd, but never mind that, it’s a great concept and, as the artist says “like all good ideas, came to me while I was making a cup of tea”.

Since then, she has been “meeting the most wonderful Brigids [and Bridgets, Bríds and any other spelling of the name you care to mention], ranging from three years old to 100. The project “is really an examination of the status of women in modern-day Ireland.” While we await its conclusion, Brennan’s multi-award-winning Reflection on 100 Years of the Irish State will be at Paris Photo from November 7th – 12th, parisphoto.com, and is online at deirdrebrennan.com.

Charlie Burke is originally from Uganda. “Ireland is very welcoming. I play a lot of soccer. I have a dream about playing for Liverpool." Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Charlie, with his mother, Dora Burke. “Ireland is very welcoming. I have so many Irish friends. Coming from a Third World country things are much, much better. I can get everything I want. Basic medical care. I love that people can have their own opinion,” says Dora. Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
“As a trans person we have come so far but now we are being left behind. A healthcare system that does not follow international best practice. No sex education. Rising hate crimes. There are fewer queer spaces now than we had in the 1980s. The ideals and hopes of Ireland of the past is something I still hold onto,” says Jenny Maguire. Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Oliver John Nugent: “I love this country. It has everything I want apart from the fact that I am 50 years too old to enjoy it. I would love to be in my 20s again. Ireland is forward looking. We have a healthy attitude to tomorrow.” Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Sophie and Ali Kavanagh “both love Ireland. We would be so sad if we had to leave. It is very sad that a lot of our generation are not able to live here.” Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Daniel Byrne and Guylherme Tarasiuk: “We have all we need. In Europe, Ireland is one of the most accepting places. How much we have jumped ahead in time.” Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Charlotte Oppermann thinks “of the impending doom of not having housing. I just want to emigrate. Ireland is a beautiful country with so much history. We need to honour that but it is hard to do if we have to emigrate. We won’t be able to create culture here if we have to leave.” Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Irish Traveller and singer Sharyn Ward: “I am not an activist. I use my music in a cheeky way to help people learn about the Travelling community. I have been singing since forever. I don’t ever remember not singing.” Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
“What amazes me is that 100 years ago, when the country was bankrupt, they could build social housing. They were building communities, they were thinking. They thought about people over profit. We could be a great country. No one is daring enough to take that chance,” says historian Liz Gillis. Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
“What I think of Ireland? That is a very bad question to ask a German. Germany is incredibly well organised. I don’t understand why in a city this small there are so many homeless people on the streets. I don’t consider myself totally human anymore. Nature is far more interesting than people. I love nature. Nature is easy to get along with. You are never lonely when nature is there,” says Daniel Holtzschlag. Photograph: Deirdre Brennan
Gemma Tipton

Gemma Tipton

Gemma Tipton contributes to The Irish Times on art, architecture and other aspects of culture