The sculptured figures, by the sensitive Rowan Gilespie, are representative of the millions of deeply depressed Irish emigrants who took the famine ship from misery & starvation, to hopefully happiness. The bleak despair in the faces of Rowan's figures are the epitome of sadness. I was absolutely moved and my own sadness at the time seemed insignificant. I worked on the photograph over several days. It was a great reality check - sometimes the creative process can be therapeutic.
Nowadays there's a replica tall ship called the "Jeannie Johnson" moored nearby. It's uniqueness in Irish history is that it never lost a single passenger during its many crossings of the Atlantic Ocean during those tough famine times. Ironically the "Jeannie Johnson" mooring is directly opposite the Dublin offices of global Citibank, now based at the IFSC in the Dublin Docklands.
Date: 22/10/2003
Location: Customs Quay, Dublin
Photographer: Colm Keating