Between

Mosney Reception Centre is a former Butlin’s holiday camp located 30 miles north from Dublin in County Meath. It opened in 1948 and was a popular holiday destination for thousands of Irish and UK visitors every year. In 1982 Butlin’s sold the camp, its name was changed to Mosney Holiday Centre and it continued operating under Irish management. In 2000 it was contracted to the Department of Justice and Immigration to house more than 700 “asylum seekers”. The residents currently living in Mosney reflect a continually changing demographic consisting of individuals and families who have been forced to migrate from their homes in the most urgent of times. There are more than 50 nationalities represented in Mosney; a microcosm of global instability. Many of the resident’s countries of origin are in breach of human rights, or economically inequitable and regularly attract international media attention, bearing testament to why people leave their homes in search of a better life.

I worked (unofficially) in Mosney with the residents between 2004-2008. During this period I produced hundreds of hours of video footage, photographs and several art interventions, including Postcards from Mosney (2006). The rationale for this long-term residency was to engage in a series of participatory projects with residents to challenge unbalanced and inaccurate media representations and to explore the exciting diversity of new cultures emerging during one of the most significant demographic and cultural changes ever experienced in Ireland.