Three Nicoles

  1. My portrait of writer Nicole Flattery, whose new book “Nothing Special” has just been given a rave review in the The New Yorker.

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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.

Coat-Hanger Kisses

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.

The Genius

I’m delighted to see that my friend Larissa Fasthorse has just been named a MacArthur Fellow, an award known as the “genius grant” to creatives. She’s a Native American playwright and former ballet dancer, who I met a few years ago in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig. It couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

Larissa Fasthorse with her husband, sculptor Edd Hogan

Larissa Fasthorse with her husband, sculptor Edd Hogan

You can see more of my portraits of writers in this gallery.

Marina De Van

Marina de Van is a very interesting French film director, screenwriter, novelist and actor.  She was a great subject to shoot, making it a challenge to pick just one image - I did eventually, and it’s in the “Artists” gallery.

Her new site has just been launched, and offers acting coaching and hypnosis in Paris.

Hugh X 5

Hugh O’Conor, photographed in my kitchen.

Hugh O’Conor is a quintuple threat. As well as being one of the best actors of his generation, he’s an extravagantly talented director, screenwriter and photographer, and he’s the nicest man in the Irish film industry. He defies categorisation, which makes it all the more difficult to decide which gallery on the site to put his portrait into…

(You can see the gallery he went into here.)

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 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.

Check out this beautiful, moving tribute by Roger Doyle, who took an answering machine message Jonathan had left him and set it to music. It’s great to hear him again.

Coat-Hanger Kisses

Annaghmakerrig People

Some of the great people I’ve met in Annaghmakerrig over the years.

Robbie McDonald, who will be leaving next January after ten years as director of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig. The post is currently being advertised

Dancer and choreographer Emma O’Kane

Emma O’Kane in action

Native American playwright Larissa Fasthorse with her husband, sculptor Edd Hogan

Author Diana Souhami

Sheila Pratschke, the Centre’s second director

There are more photographs of Annaghmakerrig here, as well as some more artists here, writers here and performers here.

Flattery in Paris

We saw these two walking towards us, and I said “He must be in love”. “He must have done something terrible”, replied Nicole.

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I first met Nicole Flattery when we were both in the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, and was really impressed by her clever and funny short stories. We did a portrait in the centre that became the author photograph in her new collection, which was given a rave review ("a highly addictive mix of deadpan drollery and candour") in the Guardian yesterday.

Nicole Flattery in Paris, 2017.

Nicole Flattery in Paris, 2017.

There are more portraits of writers in this gallery.

What have you got to say for yourself?

I shot these portraits of Margaretta D'Arcy and John Arden for a piece on married couples in The Sunday Telegraph Magazine. They refused on principle to appear in the same picture as they weren't actually living together. Margaretta filmed me as I photographed her, and when we were finished took me up to the attic where there was a tangle of wires hanging from a bare bulb in the ceiling. She flicked a switch, thrust a microphone at me and said "You are now broadcasting live on the world's only Irish language, feminist pirate radio station - what have you got to say for yourself?" Not a lot, as it turned out.

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