Charlie Dineen

The city Beneath Me

For 7,000 years, at Bealtaine in May, pilgrims have walked the path from the holy well at The City in Shrone, Kerry, to the top of The Paps of Anú. She was a fertility goddess revered by pre-Christian agricultural communities as the guardian of cattle & health. The mountains were venerated as the source of wellbeing for the surrounding land with prehistoric cairns on each of the summits and pilgrimages & ritualistic displays of devotion to her being held in springtime. 'The City Beneath Me' reactivates these rituals on the Paps' slopes. Dineen’s reimaginings are an honouring of lost traditions on the ancient sacred paths as well as a summoning of the spirits of his ancestors who permeate the thin air between worlds on this holy ground.

A black and white photograph depicting three human-like forms covered in a large white sheet, kneeling on a grassy field at night. The scene is dramatically lit, casting a glow on the sheet and surrounding grass while the background fades into darkness. Sparse vegetation and a bare shrub are visible at the edge of the illuminated area, adding to the eerie and surreal atmosphere.

A black-and-white photograph of a rugged hillside with a stony, uneven path made of loose rocks leading upward. The terrain is sparsely covered with short grass and patches of dark earth. Jagged rock formations jut out near the hilltop in the distance, under a lightly clouded sky, adding a dramatic focal point to the stark landscape

A black and white photograph of a mountainous landscape, featuring a cairn made of stacked stones in the foreground. Rolling hills and rugged peaks stretch into the background, with a steep path visible along the ridge of a prominent hill. The atmosphere is stark and dramatic, emphasizing the natural textures and contours of the terrain.

A black and white photograph of a statue of a robed figure, viewed from behind and silhouetted against a dramatic sky with large, billowing clouds. The figure stands in a grassy field with the Pap mountains in the background. In the foreground, two small jars, containing candles or offerings, rest on the ground near tall blades of grass

Black and white photograph of a barren, rocky hillside with a group of figures dressed in white, sheet-like garments walking in a loose formation across the slope. In the background, two rounded hills (Paps) rise under a clear sky, with soft halos of light near their peaks. The landscape is stark and desolate, evoking a mysterious or surreal atmosphere

A black and white photograph of a large, rounded mountain under clear skies. A faint path ascends the slope toward a rocky summit. In the foreground, jagged rocks cast long shadows over the grassy terrain, adding contrast and depth to the scene. Rolling hills stretch out in the background

A black-and-white photograph of a solitary figure draped in a flowing white cloth standing on a barren hillside. The figure faces to the right, blending into the stark, windswept landscape of rolling hills and dark terrain under a vast, empty sky. The ethereal appearance creates a haunting, ghostlike atmosphere.

Black and white photograph of a large cairn made of stacked stones, situated on a grassy mountaintop. The cairn rises in a conical shape, its dark texture contrasting against the bright, overcast sky. Distant parallel hill of mountain peak with similar structure is visible on the horizon, contributing to the importance of the location with a clear feeling isolation and elevation.

A black and white photograph of a rural landscape showing a grassy field bordered by dense shrubbery. In the foreground, a small pile of stones is partially buried in the grass. The scene is softly lit, with a hazy or foggy atmosphere that gives the image a quiet, contemplative mood

A black and white photograph of a grassy moorland landscape with a narrow stream winding through the terrain toward a dark, still body of water in the background. The far side of the water is bordered by a steep, rocky hillside covered in dense vegetation. In the foreground, four small white figures are staked into the ground in a line, contrasting with the dark grass.

Charlie Dineen

BA (Hons) Photography + Visual Media

Charlie Dineen is a Dublin-based artist and film maker working primarily with multiformat analogue photography and film. His work spans abstract and conceptual approaches, street photography, documentary, and self-portraiture.

Central to his practice is a deep belief in the enduring magic of analogue processes and the creative possibilities that are carried through an unbroken chain of light in the darkroom.

Dineen’s evolving film work is grounded in the same sensibility that defines his photographic practice and demonstrates a deep understanding of the medium. Layered sound and visuals are elegantly and emotively interwoven to create work that is atmospheric, resonant and distinctive.