stories and histories

This project, in time, shall have two distinct sides, the stories that I can tell with pictures and those I can tell with words, relating the details I can collect on the different places. To really have a sense of a space I think we begin by appreciating it and by learning about its formation; within every "garden" there is a story, some tell a story of climate and soil and irrigation and some speak of a culture and their religious and architectural preferences.Some of the "gardens"(architecture, ruins) more than others have a recorded history, few of them have an easily available recorded history so I expect it will take time before I collect them all. Soon you should see a link reading "stories and histories" appearing beneath the images of most "gardens" which will open up information and/or links to helpful sites. I would be happy to hear from anyone who has stories on any of the places I have photographed. In many cases the things I would like to know have only been noted or recorded by people who have lived in the area for some time. Some of the things I am curious about are not so much the purview of the historian but rather those who know something of botany and geology.. 

My grandfather was something of a local historian. He loved to regale my siblings and I with often bloody stories about the war for independence, the subsequent civil war and continuing political struggles. He would also point out ruins and monuments in our locality and explain their significance. He made the political feel personal, not just a collection of names and dates and not at all a series of stories about good and evil. Where I lived and played and wandered took on not just the significance of its present form but that of all that had gone before and as I learnt more about geography, the history of how the land had formed and reformed. I hope in time, to build some of that sense of space here.

 Neasa O Grady

PS. I think I am also going to include my version of where's waldo in this photography project. In my version you have to see if you can spot my dog Socrates(see below for example).