My great-grandfather was an odd man by all accounts. He was my granny’s father. He fought in the Boer War, and was a docker on Dublin’s North Wall. He didn’t drink, nor smoke, nor curse – which must have been strange behaviour, if not for a soldier, then certainly for an Irish docker. He had his hobbies. He mended watches, he was interested in megalithic history, he had learned needlecrafts in the army. He was also an amateur photographer. These are simply facts.
In 1923, he was the first of our family ever to buy a house – 12 Crescent Gardens, Dublin. And up until last April, when an old relative died, someone from our family had lived continuously in that house. So, after 100 years, it was time for us to clear the rooms, his archive, our history.
about the artist
Spencer Glover is a visual artist using the photographic image. He has exhibited in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the U.S. Recent exhibitions include Draiocht Gallery, Dublin; Athens Photo Festival 2024; Prague Art Biennial; Open Doors Prize 2023, London.
