Images of people in struggle
Photographer Oistin Mac Bride launched his new book of photographs, Family 'Friends and Neighbours, An Irish Photobiography', at Féile an Phobail in Belfast on Monday the 6th of August of Family Friends and Neighbours.
The book is a colour hardback with 200 photographs and 20,000 words by Mac Bride marking 20 years of his work covering the conflict in the Six Counties.
In his introduction to the book, Gerry Adams writes:
"This wonderful, sad and inspirational book of images and stories comes from the perspective of a people in struggle as seen through the camera lens of one of our own, Oistín Mac Bride.
"Over the past 20 years, he took thousands of photographs of his family, friends and neighbours to document their experiences as human beings, often touched by personal tragedy. This book is about people, not about historical events or a political movement. It is not chronologically told, it does not explore ideology, nor does it prescribe solutions. It tells the stories of people and families.
"But it is about politics, because as we read the stories and read the pain or absurdity of military occupation in the stares on the faces in this book, we know that somehow we must make this peace process we are committed to work. No matter how frustrating, no matter how many obstacles are put in our way by those who are resisting change, we need to keep ourselves moving forward so that these sacrifices and losses are not in vain."
Mac Bride's book will be launched in Dublin on Friday 24 August at the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar between 6.30pm and 8pm. All are welcome.
Phoblacht will carry extracts and images from the book over the next couple of weeks.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)