EDITION INFORMATION

This picture was taken in August of 2003 in Cootehall, County Roscommon, Ireland on the banks of the river Shannon.

As a child I spent many summers here on holiday as my father had a river boat berthed nearby. But as a teenager I did my best to avoid family vacations, so my next visit to Cootehall was almost 20 years after the ones of my childhood. I returned in 2002 and found the village largely unchanged much to my surprise, as there was so much change happening elsewhere throughout the country with the Celtic Tiger in full effect.

I went back the next year and spent 10 days documenting the village, its people and surroundings; I took this picture on the last morning of my stay. I awoke early to find the area bathed in fog. I have to admit, I debated as to whether I should get out of bed or not. There was not a soul about and I took a few landscape shots before I came across some cows in a field. This one cow was especially curious, sticking his head over the wall he willingly egged me on to take his portrait. Less then five minutes later the fog was gone, burned away by the rising sun.