McPaddy’s

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Joseph Kelly, Ireland
• Date of Photograph
  2023-2025

This photo series aims to explore the effects of globalisation and gentrification on my home country of the Republic of Ireland, from the perspective of someone who’s returned after a number of years abroad. A particular focus is the perceived ‘Disneyfication’ of the culture and its surrounding artefacts while retaining the place’s sense of character and magical realism.

“I loved the gentleness, the sweet shyness, the warm welcomes,” she wrote, but added: “each time I return I see the changes, the ugly noisy modern world.” - Jill Freedman