Places, without people

This photo was taken while all of the pilgrims were attending evening mass on Lough Derg. At this time, the Penitential Beds are devoid of people (except in this case myself). I began thinking about the nature of place without people. The Beds are usually a hive of activity, with people walking around, kneeling and praying; but, here they are still, quiet, deserted. This place now feels completely different, like walking city streets early in the morning or being in an empty sports stadium. While the structures and constructed elements remain, the character that living, moving humans give a place is absent. This changes the place, not necessarily making it less or more, just different.

The Beds, Lough Derg

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  1. I remember a month interrailing decades ago and really enjoying a visit to both Munich and berlin Olympic Stadia – when empty. I have since been in nearly empty Thomond Park, Lansdowne Road and Millenium Stadium.

    Like the photograph you put up, I think I prefer the personal experience of the empty space – but that probably reflects more of me that the space.

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