The Evolving Face of a Dubliner

An American studying in Ireland has the opportunity for many adventures and cultural experiences. Although I never thought my experiences would enable me to search for a nameless face in an intriguing old photograph. But somehow it did and I’m certainly glad it did.

As a student at Trinity College pursuing my Master’s in Public History and Cultural Heritage, I decided to take on my internship at the Dublin City Library and Archive (DCLA); I knew I wanted to work with people and photographs and I felt this was the place to do it.

As I searched through the countless photographs at DCLA, I sought to discover a face with a story, even though that story was at the time unknown to me.

Towards the end of my search of the photographic collection, I saw an attractive young face with a candid expression looking up at me. I was immediately drawn to the photo and knew it had the potential to serve me well with my endeavour.

Without a name or much information to work with I, with the help of DCLA staff, researched the photo and mainly through social media, found the man I had been searching for - Mark Leddy, a Dubliner born and raised.

As soon as I contacted Mark (who was very open towards my project), I learned that he was a man with a particular sarcastic Irish style who challenged me to develop complementary questions to suit his unique persona.

Above: Mark Leddy by the 8th Lock next to Ballyfermot in the late 1980s.

I had the privilege to interview Mark in order to gain insight during the time in which the photo was taken to today and how he and the city have changed.

The photograph was taken when Mark was 13 or 14 years old, in the late 1980s by the 8th Lock on the Grand Canal next to Ballyfermot. Highly interested in the arts at a young age, he presumes he was writing a poem when the photo was taken.

“At the time I wanted to be seen as an artist,” he explains. He also recalls he was listening to The Doors with the headphones around his neck as he “wanted to be Jim Morrison.”

During this time Mark always had his head in the clouds. “When I grew up I wanted to live inside Back to the Future. That was my projected future; that’s what I wanted out of life, fantasy,” Mark recalls.

As we chatted, it became clear that the arts played a major role in Mark’s upbringing and thus, in how he looks upon Ireland – both in the past and nowadays.

During the interview, he even went on to recite verses from W.B. Yeats’ September 1913. Mark believes “The old romantic Ireland we thought existed is gone” and that “Ireland has become a souvenir to the rest of the world.”

He recognises that the city has changed a great deal, like every place it has its challenges but reveals that “it’s a beautiful place with some beautiful people.”

Growing up Mark believed the world loved the Irish and that “wherever we go we’re welcomed.”

Today when he’s with people from abroad, they typically say they love the Irish. Speaking about Dublin in particular, he insists “people have some romantic view of the city.” And if they have an Irish heritage, they are going to see it a bit more romantically than it actually is.

Above: Mark Leddy by the 8th Lock next to Ballyfermot in 2015. 

Mark is pensive as he reflects upon Dublin, “It’s as many splendored as the streets.”

“People come to the city, they walk up ten streets, they visit nine pubs and they have great fun. And then they somehow have a highly detailed view of the city. I don’t even have it and I’ve been living here all my life.”

Yet, Dublin is home for Mark, it’s familiar; “The more you walk the same path the more you know the path.”

It’s his hometown and he will live and probably die here. Although, the ideal home for Mark would be in a remote cabin, “maybe a little babbling brook to get the water from in the morning. Just get away from everyone. I’d love to be a mountain man,” he says.

To get away from the bustling city, Mark enjoys spending time along the canal; he walks the same paths as where the photo was taken over thirty years ago.

“Nowadays the place that gets the most out of me is the canal.” He walks his dog in the area every day for three to four hours. He also keeps himself busy by doing a variety of activities such as reading, listening to music, and watching movies. “I keep myself interested in things; I’m rarely bored.”

Mark is also an avid photographer. About a year ago, a friend introduced him to long exposure photographs at night. He took one photo and was “amazed and then just hooked.”

Then in the following months he wandered the city every night at two in the morning to capture the perfect image.

Soon after, he discovered photographing people. “That’s tough but when it works they’re great photos. And my trick is not to pose them; I don’t like posed images. And you can pose them without posing, you can do that if you’re clever enough. For me the photograph is a crayon that does what you want,” he quips.

With Dublin’s rich diversity of people and culture, it’s an excellent place to have the hobby of photography. There are “characters that will keep you entertained all day. What else are you going to do all day? There are some very funny (humorous) people in Dublin.”

Dublin will continue to stand witness to Mark Leddy’s life, just as Mark Leddy will continue his observations and impressions of the city. The two will interact and influence each other just as they always have and ultimately, Mark Leddy’s path will continue to be the evolving face of a Dubliner.

About our Guest Blogger, Emily Cookson

Emily is a student at Trinity College Dublin pursuing her Master’s degree in Public History and Cultural Heritage. Emily worked on a project designed to bring both the past and present into focus, revitalizing photographs of the past and placing them into terms of modernity. Emily put out a call in February for information about a number of individuals  featured in photographs from the past, in order to learn more about their lives, their personal history and memory, and the circumstances of when the photographs were taken. This is one such story to emerge from that call.