Children at play on the cobbled streets of Smithfield; lovers embracing in St Stephen’s Green; horse-drawn milk carts on their early-morning deliveries; a night-watchman’s lonely vigil; abandoned tram tracks; the bustling vitality of Moore Street traders; a woman polishing her doorstep; an elderly busker playing a tin whistle in Merchants Arch. These are just some of the remarkable images of a city and its citizens as seen through the lens of master photographer Bill Doyle. In 150 photographs that span half a century, Bill Doyle captures and brings back to life the spirit of a time and place – a pre-boom Dublin still haunted by the ghosts of history. From the narrow alleyways and backstreets of the Liberties and the north inner city to the leafy environs of the south side, these beautiful, dramatic pictures constitute a singular photographic achievement.
