He smiled and reached into his pocket, saying he had it in a small glass jar if I'd like to see it?
Read MoreBehind-the-scenes photo by Ailbhe O'Donnell
Jonathan
Jonathan Philbin Bowman ( 1969-2000) photographed for Harpers & Queen magazine, mid 90’s.
My friend Jonathan Philbin Bowman, journalist and broadcaster, who died on this day twenty-two years ago.
He was such great company - precocious, quick-witted, argumentative, hilarious and utterly original. I’ve never met anyone quite like him, and still miss him a lot.
You can hear his voice in this beautiful, moving tribute by Roger Doyle, who took an answering machine message Jonathan had left him and set it to music.
The portrait was made for a profile in Harpers & Queen magazine written by Sean O’Hagen, and you can see a print of it in the Little Museum of Dublin’s collection.
Fintan O’Toole, photographed at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris in June 2019
We Don't Know Ourselves
Congratulations to Fintan O'Toole, who has just won the An Post Irish Book of the Year 2021 for his We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958.
Read MoreShane and Shannon
One thing that’s made the pandemic more bearable is the rise of so many great online comedians, and one of my favourites is Shane Daniel Byrne. I had fun photographing him in character as Shannon, of Shannon’s Hair Beauty Brows Nails & Dog Grooming on the Lower Kimmage Road. You can see some of Shannon’s greatest hits here, and Shane’s just announced a big show next March in Liberty Hall - tickets go on sale tomorrow.
Shane Daniel Byrne as Shannon of Shannon’s Hair Beauty Brows Nails & Dog Grooming on the Lower Kimmage Road
Work on Walls
Some of my work that’s been exhibited in the last year.
Read MoreMary Robinson
Two of my portraits of Mary Robinson, who became the first woman to be elected President of Ireland on this day in 1990.
Read MoreCulture Night 2021
I have two offerings for Culture Night this year : A large-scale, one-off print of this image is for sale in the ÍOVA 2nd Annual Photography Exhibition: 6pm Friday 17th Sept 39/40 Arran Quay, till Sunday the 19th September.
I am also delighted to have edited a specially commissioned short film for Decade of Centenaries 1921-2021, made by Susan Mannion, Matthew Gammon and Rory Pierce. You can see it here.
The film can also be viewed at 22 locations along the River Shannon in County Roscommon on Culture night by using a QR code. Information is on the Culture Night website for Roscommon.
Bulloch on Lennox and Synge
Good to see my Bulloch Harbour image up on the wall beside Red & Grey design on the corner of Lennox Street and Synge Lane, just in time for the next heatwave. It's part of a series, with a new image going up every week.
Atelier Horgan is open for business
I’ve just opened an atelier / daylight studio and am looking forward to doing lots of good work in it.
Read MoreHolding
I did some publicity shots for “Holding”, a new ITV drama starring Conleth Hill and Siobhan McSweeney, directed by Kathy Burke.
Read MoreIVANA
My photograph of Ivana Bacik on the campaign trail.
I’ve just voted for Ivana Bacik in the Dublin Bay South by-election, and if you have a vote in the constituency please use it to help elect her. She’s a courageous, principled and progressive politician, and we need more people like her in the Dáil.
The Master
Jim Butler of Inspirational Arts is a master printer, ally to legions of artists and photographers and an all-around great guy.
No T Like a Joe T
These are my portraits of Joe Dolan from the 90's, and comedian Justine Stafford has just made one into a t-shirt with all proceeds going to the Irish Hospice Foundation. You can get one here.
The words making up the image spell “ No show like a Joe show”
Crow on a Fence*
We shot the bar image in Les Pipos, where Gainsbourg used to sing before he was famous.
Read MoreLittle Italy
After watching the Sopranos again, I've started listening to the "Our Thing" podcast, in which real-life gangster Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano tells stories about being underboss to John Gotti, head of the Gambino crime family in New York. In the first episode he describes the FBI raid on the Ravenite Club in Little Italy that brought Gotti's career to an end. There was something about the place that sounded familiar, so I looked up the address. Turns out it was in the same building on Mulberry Street where I spent a winter a couple of years ago.
This was the view out the window.
You can see more about my winter in New York here.
Emma
When you’re making a portrait of someone, it helps to fall in love with them a little. It was very easy indeed to fall in love with Emma.
Read MoreLOUISAHHH!!!
These are my portraits of LOUISAHHH!!!, the queen of French industrial techno. She's just announced her first album, The Practice of Freedom, which is available to pre-order here:
Happy New Year...
I’d only just bought the mug and was walking around the corner when the bag holding it tipped against a bollard, breaking the handle off. I brought it home and fixed it. It broke again, in a different place, and I fixed it again, and again. It’s been broken in 12 different places, and it still works.
Happy New Year.
Gate Theatre Portraits
A series of portraits commissioned by the Gate Theatre, Dublin. I very much hope we can return to theatres next year.
Featured
You can see more of my portraits here.
One Hundred Profile Pictures
You can see a full sized version of this image here.
This is a selection of my portraits that people have used as their profile pictures. Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to have one done or to give one as a gift.