From Dusk til Dawn

Yesterday was a beautiful sunset, as you can see from above there. That’s the Athlone town centre and her attendant cranes silhouetted against the sky.

I have taken on a strange task. A newspaper I do some work for features a section on the social scene in Athlone. Ostensibly (entirely, in fact), it’s just 8 pages of photographs of folks out at night surrounded by an attractive fringe of advertising. In any case, the production manager noticed there was a serious possibility that there would be no photographs forthcoming this Monday and somehow I ended up being asked to “take a few photos.”

More like between 30-40 photos. Of strangers. In pubs, bars and nightclubs. Not exactly my scene.

Now, I have discussed here before the great mystery that is “going for one” in Ireland. And, given my task this weekend, I have fallen right into the predictable pattern – complete with the dirty, dirty garlic curry cheese and bacon chip madness at the end of the tunnel.

The only good side to it all is the resultant calm on the walk home. I think it’s made even more striking from the contrast of what one has just experienced. I mean, emerging from a humid, cramped, booming nightclub into the crisp of the cold early morning air is a kind of birth experience.

After the obligatory late night food-ening, I walked home through the mist along the strand. It was like nature had reached a soft, cool hand down to muffle the noisy children of the evening.

The streetlamps hung like bright jewels set into silver cloth.