A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition honouring emergency workers who responded to the September 11th attacks in the US opened in Dublin last night.
Ground Zero 360,a collection of images by Irish photojournalist Nicola McClean, was opened by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan.
Living in New York and working as a photographer at the time of the attacks, McClean took to Manhattan’s streets on September 11th, 2001, recording the devastation and panic as New York’s World Trade Center fell.
“I just happened to be there and went straight to work,” said McClean at the launch at Dublin’s Collins Barracks last night. “I grabbed all the film I could get my hands on, headed down. I knew I was photographing something special when I was taking these pictures, but it took a long time to have a drive to put something together.”
The mother of four who got her green card in a lottery in 1991 said: “That day was the first time I really felt like an American. If you weren’t going to feel American on a day like that you were never going to feel American.”
Featuring a visual and audio retrospective of the emergency workers who, along with others, responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center, the exhibition, curated by McClean’s husband Paul McCormack, includes a 360 degree panoramic view of Ground Zero and an audio presentation of the emergency response radio calls on the day.
Speaking at last night’s event Mr Deenihan said: “Ireland has always had an affinity with America. We all have friends or family who have made lives for themselves in the US, and the relationship between our countries has always bound us together. The tragedy of that day shook the world.”
Attending last nights event was Maryann O’Rourke, wife of Irish-American firefighter Kevin Martin O’Rourke (44) who lost his life in the attacks. Ms O’Rourke recalled her wait to hear if her husband was missing.
“You want to believe that it’s going to be alright. We didn’t put the TV on because when we did it was just watching the same thing.
“We just prayed and everybody was together…but my husband’s body was found, we were lucky.”
Describing the exhibition as “bittersweet”, she said: “We’re very appreciative that people still remember it, that part is so important.”
Also attending was James Smith, husband of Moira Smith an NYPD officer who lost her life in the attacks, and their daughter Patricia (12), who said he was “honoured” to be included in the event.
Attending on behalf of Dublin Fire Brigade, third officer Greg ODwyer said: “We’re here to remember 9/11 and the 10-year anniversary. We have a multidenominational memorial service in the chapel in our training centre on September 11th, so we will all be attending that as well.
