Mike Abrahams — Borderlands 1984–1993

Mike Abrahams — Borderlands 1984–1993

£6.70

36 pages
printed and manufactured in England
staple bound
14cm x 20cm

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30 years on from taking these photographs, a lot has changed, the Belfast and Good Friday Agreements, power sharing and a return to peaceful coexistence. However the pursuit of Brexit and the fantasy of a return to pre-colonial greatness gave the hard line members of the DUP an opportunity they could not resist. Those who pursued the Brexit project either were completely ignorant of politics and the history of Northern Ireland or they simply did not care that an equilibrium that had begun to exist could be sacrificed to their plan. The DUP threatening to collapse the executive over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the economy under severe strain and the Loyalist Communities Council, the body representing loyalist paramilitaries withdrew their support for the Good Friday Agreement. It doesn’t feel as if there is a lot to celebrate.

I am not a news photographer, there are many of my colleagues who have pursued that profession with much greater and success than I. Even though on occasion I had covered some news events, my concern has always been to document the often quiet and unreported insignificant moments that make up the day to day lived experiences of ordinary people living through extraordinary times.

My first visit to Northern Ireland took me to South Armagh, or “Bandit Country”, as it was sometimes referred. The IRA had such control over the area that the British army could only move around by helicopter. Street signs warned of ‘Sniper at Work’. Weapons and members of the IRA. crossed the border easily and managed many deadly attacks and SAS units shot to kill intercepting and ambushing IRA operations. The border runs for 499 km, with minor roads, blocked or blown up with large craters blocking a travellers path, main roads with fortified customs posts and watchtowers. The border ran through the middle of farmers’ fields, others having to drive 40 miles to cross checkpoints to access their fields. Locals took it in their hands to dismantle the structures placed to block border roads, the British Army would then replace them. A game of cat and mouse. Idiosyncrasies such as this were overshadowed by the darker activities that resulted from living with the disputed border. The random shootings, bombs and the funerals that followed.

John Benton-Harris — Children of the troubles Northern Ireland John_Benton_Harris_Children_of_the_Troubles_Northern_Ireland_web12002.jpg

John Benton-Harris — Children of the troubles Northern Ireland

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Bertrand Carrière — Ireland 1986 Bertrans_Carriere_1980 web1200.jpg

Bertrand Carrière — Ireland 1986

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Syd Shelton — West Belfast 1979 Syd_Shelton_Belfast_1979_web12002.jpg

Syd Shelton — West Belfast 1979

£6.70
Wally Cassidy — Manic Street Preachers Ireland 1991 Wally_Cassidy_Manics 300821 web12002.jpg

Wally Cassidy — Manic Street Preachers Ireland 1991

£6.70
Homer Sykes — Biddy Boys 1972 homer-sykes-biddy-boys-ireland-1972_SECOND_PRINT_web12002.jpg

Homer Sykes — Biddy Boys 1972

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