Meet Frank: An Irish Story Through My Lens

Meet Frank.

My brother owns this photograph and keeps it at his cabin in Northern Wisconsin. During a visit this past summer, I turned a corner and saw it hanging in a new spot—and instantly, I was transported back to Ireland and the days when I first fell in love with photography.

I spent years traveling through Ireland, photographing the landscapes and the unforgettable characters I met along the way. Those were the days of film—black and white, and a good dose of infrared. It was a slower, more intentional time, and Ireland was where my creative voice began to take shape.

Back then, my business centered around creating customized tours of Ireland for small groups. I didn’t join most of the tours, but I did assist with a few photography workshops, and it was during one of those trips that I met Frank.

In Connemara, you could spend an afternoon sailing on a Galway Hooker—a traditional Irish fishing boat with black wooden hulls and striking red sails. These boats were originally used to move turf along the western coast, and nothing about them felt modern. The captain and crew spoke Gaelic, hoisted the massive sails by hand, and carried themselves like they belonged to another era entirely.

There were twelve of us on board, each with a camera glued to our hands. The weather was perfect—blue skies, warm sun, and a steady wind that carried us across the water.

I’m certain the crew had no idea how many photographs we were taking of them, but in true Irish fashion, they didn’t seem to care. That’s something I’ve always loved about Ireland: people don’t pose, they don’t fuss, they don’t change who they are because a camera is around. They simply continue on, fully themselves.

Frank was one of those people you never forget. He had spent most of his adult life in Boston and claimed he had once been a boxer—so strong, he said, that he nearly killed a man with his bare hands. Whether that was true or just a good Irish story hardly matters. The Irish have a way of blending truth and myth into something more poetic.

But every time I see this image, I think of Frank, his rugged charm, his weathered hands, and the way storytelling and identity intertwine in Ireland. It’s one of the reasons I return to photograph Ireland again and again—because the people, as much as the land, stay with you.

I would love to what feelings or emotions come to mind for you when you see this image.

Be well….be creative,