Irishmanlost

01/11/2026

St Patrick’s Barracks, Ballymena - A Forgotten Military History

From its wartime origins to its role in Northern Ireland’s military history, St Patrick’s Barracks witnessed more than seven decades of change. Once home to generations of soldiers, including American servicemen during the Second World War, the site eventually fell silent following its closure in 2007.

Through historical archive photographs and my own images taken in 2017, this Field Notes explores the history of the barracks, the people who passed through its gates and what remained after the military moved on.

Capturing the lives we’ve left behind before they disappear.

Discover the full story at irishmanlost.com.

15/10/2026

An Infrared Remembrance

Some places seem to exist outside of time. 🌿

As a photographer, I’m always looking for ways to see familiar places differently. At Moydow, County Longford, I wanted to move beyond a straightforward record of an abandoned church and its surrounding graveyard, using colour infrared photography to explore the atmosphere of a place where generations have come and gone.

The golden vegetation, pale gravestones and brooding skies create an almost surreal landscape, blurring the line between the familiar and the unfamiliar. The result feels less like a record of a place as it is, and more like a glimpse into a forgotten world where the past still lingers.

For me, it’s about more than documenting dereliction. It’s about capturing the atmosphere, the passage of time, and the quiet stories held within places nature is slowly reclaiming.

Capturing the lives we’ve left behind before they disappear.

📍 Moydow, County Longford, Ireland

02/10/2026

Newtownbreda Primary School, Belfast

I attended Newtownbreda Primary between 1979 and 1986, so returning years later to photograph the abandoned school was a very personal experience. The wee side, the big side, the senior playground, games of marbles and memories that had been tucked away for decades all came back.

I've written the full story for a new Field Notes post, looking at the history of the school, the people connected to it and what I remember as a pupil.

Read it here: https://www.irishmanlost.com/blog-1/newtownbreda-primary-school-belfast

31/08/2026

The Palladium Cinema, Ballymoney

From “The Ranch” to ruin.

Opened in 1936, the Palladium became a much-loved local cinema before closing in 1969.

I visited its abandoned remains in 2011, 2016 and finally in 2017, during the very week it was demolished.

Now I've brought together the history and photographs from those visits.

Do you remember the Palladium? What do you remember about it?

📖 Read the full story on Irishmanlost.com

15/08/2026

15/08/2026

Forgotten Spaces

This summer, Irishmanlost was invited to exhibit at the Boyne Music Festival in County Louth.

Across two days, I exhibited 15 of my favourite framed photographs from 19 years of documenting abandoned and forgotten places, including a couple of images from Chornobyl.

I was also featured in Philip Denvir’s award-winning documentary Leave Only Footprints, while the team behind Derelict Ireland were interviewed during the weekend.

I've written a new Field Notes feature about the experience and what it meant to bring nearly two decades of work together in one exhibition.

Read the full story at https://www.irishmanlost.com/blog-1/forgotten-spaces

08/08/2026

Kia Ora — “It’s just for me and my dog.”

A little piece of Ireland’s forgotten advertising history, lying quietly beneath the weeds.

This old Kia Ora bottle was found abandoned, its faded lettering and weathered glass offering a glimpse into a time when advertising was simpler, stranger and often far more memorable.

For many, “Kia Ora — it’s just for me and my dog” will bring back memories of the iconic orange drink and its unforgettable advertising campaign. Today, the bottle is little more than an abandoned object — but left behind, it becomes part of the story of a place and the people who once passed through it.

This is what I love about exploring abandoned Ireland: sometimes the smallest things tell the biggest stories.

Forgotten objects. Forgotten places. Forgotten Ireland.

📷 Irishmanlost®
Capturing the lives we’ve left behind before they disappear.

01/08/2026

Opened in 1905, the District Lunatic Asylum at Gransha was once one of Northern Ireland's largest psychiatric hospitals.

Now, its grand Victorian wards stand silent. Nature has begun reclaiming the buildings, while years of neglect, vandalism and arson have left parts of the historic site beyond repair.

Today, nature is reclaiming what remains, while vandalism and arson continue to erase parts of its history.

Explore the story and photographs on Irishmanlost.

https://www.irishmanlost.com/blog-1/district-lunatic-asylum-gransha

24/07/2026

This weekend I'll be at the Boyne Music Festival at the beautiful Townley Hall, Drogheda.

For almost two decades, I've been documenting the forgotten places, abandoned buildings and fading objects that quietly tell the story of Ireland's past and some from further afield. A selection of that work will be on display throughout the weekend.

I'm also featured in Philip Denvir's award-winning documentary Leave Only Footprints, which explores Northern Ireland's dereliction crisis through the world of urban exploration. The screening takes place on Saturday evening, followed by a discussion on the future of our forgotten buildings.

If you're around, call in and say hello.

📍 Townley Hall, Drogheda
📅 Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:30 am - Sun, 26 Jul 2026 3:00 pm

Exhibition: https://boynemusicfestival.com/programme-2026/2026/7/25/exhibition-irishmanlost

Film: https://boynemusicfestival.com/programme-2026/2026/7/25/film-screening-amp-talk-leave-only-footprints

15/07/2026

Dearth

The sea feels a lifetime away today.

Under a relentless summer sun, this weathered boat rests where tide and time have long since parted company. Its peeling paint, rusted scars and silent hull speak of seasons that have come and gone, of journeys finished long before the shoreline shifted.

Places like this remind me that abandonment isn't always sudden. Sometimes it arrives slowly, carried by changing landscapes, forgotten livelihoods, and the quiet passing of time.

📍 Dungeness Beach, England