The Weight of the Wind

On St. Patrick, Storytelling, and the Quiet Return to My Roots

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, and as an Irish person, I used to find it a strange holiday. I grew up with, realistically, not much being celebrated. We used to have the annual parade, but looking back, in my small town it wasn’t really a celebration of being Irish, or of Irish culture and music. It was simply a day off school as I was growing up.

Now, let’s give you readers a little bit of history, because people believe it’s the international Irish holiday. It is—but it’s not like the 4th of July or something similar where the entire country goes patriotic and insane.

Firstly, St. Patrick was British-born, not Irish.
He was a patron saint of Ireland, and while the mythology tells us he rid Ireland of snakes, he’s actually the man who brought Christianity to our shores. He allegedly taught people about the Holy Spirit using shamrocks as a guide. The story about the snakes is often seen as a symbol for the rise of Christianity and ridding Ireland of evil.
The date in question, the 17th of March, marks the day of his passing.

Ironically, like anything you’re born into, you tend to take it for granted.
St. Patrick’s Day has been a festival in Ireland for a long time, but like Halloween, it didn’t spread beyond our shores until the Famine. The Famine saw the first wave of real immigration, and as people went abroad (particularly to America) and tended to do well, they made things bigger. St. Patrick’s Day has grown to not just be an Irish thing, but a global celebration of Ireland.

For instance, in Boston, they turn the river green every year in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
Ironically, Ireland has a population of about 5 million people. In 2023, a census found that 30.1 million Americans claim Irish heritage.

Now, what’s the point in this history lesson?
You’ve no doubt seen the celebrations globally, where rivers are turned green, Guinness is drunk by the gallon, and toasts are made to the Irish—the international founders of Craic (fun).

I’m Irish. I grew up in Offaly and lived there until I was 14, before my parents emigrated to Australia. I still have my accent and am incredibly proud of being Irish—but no more than I was this past weekend.

I’m an Irish man who doesn’t drink (likely the first one you’ve heard of).
So, typically, I don’t venture too much into St. Patrick’s Day events, as it’s usually a pub where people gather and drink.
However, this past weekend—and over the last few months—I’ve been noticing a shift in myself.
I’m finding a curiosity bubbling up in me to explore more things for me: Irish language, Irish folklore, Irish music, Irish poets.

This past weekend, I managed to get a ticket to go and photograph a friend who was opening a concert for Amble. Jordy was kind enough to give me a ticket to photograph him, and while it was so good to shoot live music again, I couldn’t help but beam with joy as I saw Amble perform on stage, with 700 Irish people singing every word back to them.
The smile on the musicians’ faces, the joy in the music, the love in the crowd—it was so special to witness

Following that, Dermot Kennedy launched Misneach (Irish for courage) festival over the weekend, with a show in Sydney and one today in Boston. A celebration of Irish music and culture on a different scale than turning the river green and drinking the pubs dry.

Truthfully, I’m noticing a big shift inward for Irish people.
There’s a rising interest in Irish storytelling, a rise in the language, with Kneecap—a young band who perform in both Irish and English—leading the way. What’s amazing about them is the knock-on effect they’ve had, with a rise in young people wanting to learn the language.

I can’t really speak Irish—very little—but I wish I knew more, because it’s such an incredible language with thousands of years of history and story.

Now, finally, to the point of today’s email: to officially launch the title of my new fine art project.
Taking all of the above, I wanted a title that brings some of this back in. So, my new series will be titled Gaoth.

Gaoth (pronounced "gwee") is the Irish word for wind and the title of this fine art photography series, which captures the unseen presence of wind through the movement and transience of flowers. Using flowers as a medium, the series transforms wind into a visible force, revealing both its power and delicacy. Through this interplay, Gaoth explores the beauty of impermanence, breath, and the quiet impact of nature’s rhythms.

That’s all I have for today.

I look forward to sharing more of these works with you over the coming weeks and months. I’m not sure what the series will look like yet, but test prints have started, and I’ve got my first image framed.
Exciting times as I build this fine art world of mine.

Slán go fóill—goodbye for now.
Here’s some photos of Ireland for you to enjoy on your Tuesday morning

With love,
Adam