Entrückt – Vom Leben auf westirischen Inseln

The book “Entrückt – Vom Leben auf westirischen Inseln” by Harald Hammel has just been published, and I contributed many of the photographs. It is available in bookshops and can be ordered here.

During the making of the book we encountered remarkable stories and characters that you simply do not find on the mainland. On Cape Clear we visited Ireland’s only island distillery, where gin is made from seaweed. On Bere Island, locals run their own community radio station and we were there live when they went on air. We pottered close to the white-tailed eagle nest on Garinish Island and heard first-hand from a ranger how the reintroduction of these magnificent birds came about. At Crow Head we were shown the origins of the idea for the cable car across to Dursey Island. And we ended up in the living room of a painter on Sherkin Island, who told us about everyday life on the island in an unfiltered and wildly gesticulating manner, when he was not staring absent-mindedly into his cup of coffee.

All these stories, and many more, have been written up by Harald. I captured our encounters and the sights of the islands with the camera. The book tells of places where life is rough and unhurried, and where people pull together to ensure they can go on living out here in the Atlantic.