A Dive Into Dublin

Throughout my artistic career, I have always been drawn to the mystic stories, the films and music, the people, culture and craft of the Irish. It all seems to be in the coastal winds of the island and has penetrated the future over the centuries.

It was my pleasure to spend 3 weeks wandering the streets, pubs, coves, and far-off lands of this storied island that has inspired so much of what we experience daily.

From John Carney’s films to Shane MacGowan’s musical lyrics, the scene was set to explore the folklore and craft that this island had been known for.

I spent days photographing the exterior of pubs and small shops taking note the letterforms and iconography that defines the friendliness of the people and their fanciful, yet practical approach to design. Pub culture is the most welcoming and a true gathering of community through song and storytelling…

One thing I learned other than their art of storytelling was their keen craft of woolen fisherman sweatshirts. The different weave patterns were knitted in a fashion that was unique one clan or fisherman from another to identify them if they never came back from sea. This simple detail is so telling in their passion of weaving and tending to wool.

And just a short train ride to the east of Dublin is the historic, former gentlemen’s bathing spot called The Forty Foot… a renown spot where in Dublin Bay, peeps can dive into the Irish Sea until your body is numb, but refreshed for the day.

Some other highlights throughout Ireland that informed our Dublin flag design was a visit to the Dingle Peninsula and fishing villages, traveling through green fields checking the waves in Doolin and Donegal, and slowing down with a Guinness near the Temple Bar within the city of Dublin.