Landmarks of the Emerald Isle

Landmarks of the Emerald Isle

By Karl Graham

Goals & Objectives

The subject of this proposal is the Counties of Ireland and the landmarks that define them. The idea of the project is to determine what each county is most recognised for and how it differs from county to county. It will also look at the differences, if any, between landmarks in the Republic of Ireland and those in Northern Ireland. While the island of Ireland can be separated by religious beliefs and ownership, I hope the project will show that the landscape and landmarks bind the country as one. Another aim is to teach people, viewing the exhibition, about landmarks they may not have known existed or that they didn't realise were in a particular county.

Methodology

I will travel to each location with my girlfriend, in order to derive somebody else’s opinion on the landmarks. I previously studied Mechanical Engineering and when I completed the course I decided to do some traveling  I travelled to places such as North America, South-East Asia and Australia. I caught the traveling bug and this was what encouraged me most to attempt a project involving travel. I am excited at the opportunity to travel the length and breadth of the country and explore places I may not have previously known existed.

Before I begin my journey, I will sit down and write out a list of suitable landmarks for each county. I will then research each landmark and consider how associated it is with the county. The next step will be to draw up a schedule that will allow me to reach each landmark within the project deadline. Once I reach each county, if it is possible I will try to speak to some of the locals and ask them for their opinion on which landmark defines their county. I will then go to two or three of these landmarks, depending on time-constraints and distance, and photograph them.

I will set aside a number of weekends between November 2013 and March 2014 to visit three or four counties at a time. I hope to capture some of the landmarks during the spring to incorporate the sun and newly blossomed flowers. I also hope to snap some in a typical Irish winter scene involving snow and ice. The idea behind this is to maximise the visual effect and showcase the landscape during different seasons.

In regards to the equipment, I would ideally like to shoot the photographs with a professional camera but if I cannot get my hands on one I will use my iPhone. The professional camera would help the project really stand out at the exhibition but the iPhone would bring a good amateur feel to the project.

When it comes to choosing the right landmarks to photograph, I will try to include both the famous ones and those less well known. As I said previously, I will travel to the counties in both the Republic and the North. I think this is important in the representation of Ireland and believe that there are too many amazing places in the North to simply leave them out of a project of this nature. 

Evaluation

The project will be well laid out at the exhibition in alphabetical order. It will be in book form but, depending on the success of the project, I will also look into displaying it on-line and in magazine.  

I think in terms of county definition, the level of success will be determined by people’s ability to easily associate the landmark with the county at the exhibition. It will also give us a good understanding of people’s knowledge of the country.

Finally, I believe the project can be classed as a success if it gives people a new found desire to visit these landmarks and help give the Irish economy a much needed boost by injecting more money into Tourism at home rather than abroad.