The Goo 1
Regular Me Jewel and Darlin’ Dublin Ruth Medjber
- Photographer & Radio Show Host Where do you live: Finglas How do you get around the city: Cycle when I can, and I drive when I’m carting gear for work. SELF PORTRAIT WHERE THE HELLI ARE ALL THEI CLUBS GONE?I Dubliner Ruth Medjber is one of our finest photographers and has captured thousands of acts in many venues over the years while also working as official tour photographer for acts like Hozier and Arcade Fire. She has also worked for the BBC photographing the Glastonbury Festival and has been commissioned to shoot luminaires such as Stephen Fry, Panti, Mary Robinson, Neil Jordan and a who’s who of the Irish music scene. Over lockdown she began taking pictures of friends and family through their front room windows which eventually led to the milestone Twilight Together book, a 150 portrait volume that celebrated our resolve and our humanity over unprecedented times. Recently she has also taken to the airwaves with her Arts & Culture magazine show Spotlight, broadcast Wednesdays on Dublin City FM between 2pm and 4pm. PAGE 46 Do you have a secret refuge/ hiding place in the city: Botanic Gardens is my little oasis. I pick up a cup of tea and wander in, usually on my way back from work. Great to clear the mind. If you found €50 on the street where would you spend it: Miss Fantasia’s. Favourite pub: This is probably the hardest question of all. It’s very mood dependent and also seasonal. A Christmas pint in Grogans, a quiet scoop in the Gravediggers, an afternoon in the window of PMacs, a cocktail in the Big Romance for a bit of a bop. Favourite building/street: Liberty Hall, I love its wonky-ness and lived in feel. It glitters in the sky when the sun hits it. I also have a massive grá for Phibsboro Shopping Centre. It’s ugly beautiful. Favourite walk: Dollymount dunes on a blustery day. You often have the beach to yourself when the rain is sideways. Favourite shop/cafe/eatery: The Collective jewellery shop on Drury Street. It sells unique, Irish made jewellery in small quantities. Best memories of Dublin in your twenties: Dancing down Dame street every New Years Eve with the Hare Krishnas. Best Dublin gig you photographed? The list is far too long to even attempt to answer this. I’ve shot thousands of gigs, from the smallest shows in the tiniest pubs, to giant stadium concerts. For me though, any show in the Olympia is always a winner. That’s where I feel most at home and any band always looks amazing on that glorious stage. Dublin needs more..? Street art and artist spaces in general. And some more vegan cafes wouldn’t go amiss either! One thing you miss that’s gone: Absolutely every one of my friends that have had to emigrate because of the shambles of a government we have. If I ruled Dublin I would… Treat its residents with respect and make their experience a priority. I’d plant more trees, have more public spaces, remove all the bollards and general clutter from the streets, use every feasible space for public art, ban AirB&B and have a compulsory purchase order for every derelict house. Oh and I’d sort out the nightlife too, where the hell are all the clubs gone? Spotlight with Ruth Medjber is on Dublin City FM. 103.2FM. Your guide to Arts, Culture and New Irish Music, every Wednesday from 2pm-4pm live and online.