CELEBRATING THE PEOPLE OF DUBLIN
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WE ARE HUMAN
Humans of Dublin is a photo and storytelling project founded in 2014. It shares powerful portraits and deeply personal stories from people across Dublin, revealing the emotional depth behind everyday lives. With over 200,000 followers, a bestselling book, and featured in international and national media such as BBC, The Irish times, Irish Independent and RTÉ, it has become one of Ireland’s most recognised storytelling platforms.
Known for its honest and empathetic approach, Humans of Dublin has partnered with organisations, charities, and institutions to spotlight human experiences and spark meaningful connection. Whether it’s joy, struggle, or transformation, every story is a reminder of the shared humanity that connects us all.
“In the back garden, we used to grow tomato plants, but she died about 18 months ago, so I stopped growing them. She was a month younger than me, and I was already surprised that she passed away before me, so I was just waiting for my turn. A few months later, my neighbour arrived with a box of tomato plants, about 12 little sprouts, and he said they're not giving up on me. I was looking down at these little sprouts and thinking, how the hell am I going to plant them if I can’t even bend down anymore? Anyway, I thought I'd give it a try! I spent half the day in the glasshouse planting them. They're about 16 inches high now, and the tomatoes are beautiful on them. I started to grow these new ones as well — what do you call them? Cherry tomatoes. To be honest with you, I didn't think I'd see Dun Laoghaire harbour again, but my son and his wife forced me out here. They went for a walk, but they bought me tea and ice cream, and now that I'm here, I feel happy.”
“When my parents began to divorce, my dad signed me up for swimming lessons, hoping to ease both my severe asthma and the emotional weight of their painful separation. Before I knew it, swimming became my escape. After years of hard work and dedication, I became a national swimming champion..."
"... but I still felt trapped and unappreciated. All it led to was giving private swim lessons to wealthy and at times very disrespectful children. The economic situation and lack of opportunities in Brazil were unbearable. One day, after a particularly cruel comment from a child, I decided: I’m leaving. I had money saved for a car, but instead of using it to sit for hours in traffic every day, I bought a one-way ticket to Ireland. I didn’t know anything about the country. When I arrived, I could barely speak English. ‘Yes’ and ‘no’ were my entire vocabulary. Those first months were about survival, cleaning apartments on two shifts a day, feeling like an outsider, but refusing to give up. As my English improved, I secured a swim teaching job, which later led to a role in Dublin City Council, where I now create opportunities for those who’ve been overlooked. Through all the turbulence in my life, jumping into the water always felt like a place of peace. In the water, I found rhythm. Inhale, stroke. Exhale, glide. I could breathe even when everything else felt like it was collapsing around me. As a Swimming Activator, I’ve realised I can now use that meditative movement to teach others how to get through difficult moments, how to find strength when everything feels broken. I design programmes for people facing their own personal storms: refugees, individuals with disabilities, those from challenging backgrounds. My childhood taught me that life’s most profound moments often emerge from its most difficult spaces."
Raine Almeida - Swimming Activator for Dublin City / A co-funded role between Swim Ireland and
This post was created in partnership with Dublin City Council
“My dad was a hardworking man, a third generation working for Guinness’s, often working 6-7 days a week to provide for the five of us. He adored his job. When we were kids, he used to take us with him to drive around the factory, dropping off items. We got to see every corner of the factory growing up. He used to bring us to the Guinness baths..."
"...that's where he taught us how to swim. We were there with him every Friday. That pool had a deep end of 11.6 feet, where he would throw our pocket money and tell us to retrieve it. My dad was a lot of fun to be around. He was actively involved in raising us; he would play with us whenever he could, race us, and chase us. He was a strong man, so he would grab us, throw us into the air, and catch us. I always felt really safe with him. He retired at age 52 but never stopped working in the community; he did a lot of volunteer work too. When I decided to change careers and open Flower Pop, he was here every day helping out, fixing stuff. I used to jokingly ask him, ‘Will you get me a job at Guinness when I grow up?’ Now, I do flowers for them for all sorts of events, so in a way, I got my own job at Guinness. Flowerpop has grown so much since; I wish he were still here to see it.”
This post was created in partnership with DIAGEO and Guinness Storehouse
“One day, the Garda stopped my van at a checkpoint. I thought, ‘Oh boy. Here we go…’ The officer looked through the passenger window and saw all the plastic cowboys, Indians, and toy soldiers scattered around the dashboard. He raised his eyebrows and asked me to open the side door, so I did..."
"...When I slid it open, his jaw dropped in shock. He looked at me and said, ‘I wish my father was here to see this.’ I thought, what a coincidence his dad must have been a John Wayne fan too. I used to work as a delivery man for the libraries, and my van had become quite a spectacle because of its unique decoration. Whenever I delivered to the libraries, staff and the public would come out to admire the van and take pictures with it. My father and I used to watch all the western movies together, and we had probably seen every John Wayne film a hundred times over. He was a great man, and those movies always reminded me of the times we spent together when I was a kid. I spent 44 years working for the council, thanks to a man named Liam Owens who started me in DLR Baths. I'll be forever grateful to him because I had a wonderful career there. I did everything working on the roads, as a warden, in housing, and even as a bin man. I loved them all but when I got the opportunity to work as a delivery driver for the libraries, it felt like winning the lotto! The whole van decoration thing started with just one toy soldier on the dashboard. I liked it there, so I added a couple more. I received a lot of compliments so I asked the management if I could put a poster on the cargo wall, and they said okay. I had so many John Wayne posters at home, so I kept putting up more until the entire van was covered in western movie posters. I retired three years ago, and the library gave me the most beautiful send-off. They were a wonderful group of people to work for. It was amazing to see how something as simple as a toy soldier on the dashboard could evolve into a spectacle that brought joy to many people. As I look back, I'm grateful for a life well-lived and the chance to have made a little magic along the way.”
This story is part of my new exhibition, my largest so far. Along with sixty other large prints and the best stories from the past decade in the dlr LexIcon Venue
“I am where I am today because of the safety net that I was able to enjoy from the community where I grew up. I have to mention my aunt first. My aunt is my hero! She is amazing in every way; she raised me after both of my parents died from drugs and alcohol when I was very young. I was lucky to get a second chance and be raised by someone I could look up to. She had two of her own kids and took me and my three sisters, all from different fathers, on with no partner. She raised the six of us all by herself. Not one of us went down the wrong path; no one is on drugs, no one drinks; that's because she always protected us and set us straight. She instilled values in us, and to be honest with you, she was quite strict. We were always scared of her, in a good way. We respected her so much and never wanted to let her down. I have been working in this shop since I was 14. I used to struggle with severe anxiety growing up, but getting the opportunity to work here helped me tremendously to cope. I was slowly exposed to people, most of whom I already knew; it gently took me out of my comfort zone by having to speak to people. It helped me manage small talk, and I truly feel I would not be the person I am today without working here. People come here every day to have chats; anything that happens in the area, we are the first to know about it. Noel’s Deli is not just a corner shop. It is the connection hub for the community where you also get to pick up your milk and your bread.”
This post was created in partnership with Culture Date with Dublin 8
“I was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was a teenager, later it turned out that they were wrong but by then, I was on heavy psychiatric medication for years. I always thought, as soon as I’m off the drugs I would able to live a normal life. I stopped taking them in ’84, I never ended up in a psychiatric hospital and I actually had a great few years after..."
"... I began running, I cycled, I was doing martial arts, there weren’t enough hours in a day. But then my back got injured and I had to stop all sports. I had to look for another hobby. I loved music and I really liked the rock and roll scene in Dublin so I started to discover the pub scene. I was already in my early 30's and I'd never drank before, I was never allowed to, but with the pubs, alcohol slowly crept into my life. Soon enough, I swapped beers for whiskey and then I swapped whiskey for vodka and the next thing I knew, I lost 20 years of my life… There were times when I had to take tranquillisers to keep myself away from alcohol. Only when I started going to AA meetings could I actually make lasting changes in my life. After losing my mother and a failed adoption from DogsTrust my sister surprised me with these two and I took up dog walking as therapy. Anyhow, one day, I was walking them on Monkstown Road and I saw this lovely lady struggling to walk her Labrador. I already knew her from the neighbourhood so I went up to her and we started to chat. She began to complain about not enjoying the walks because her dog, Holly, keeps pulling and she can’t keep up with her. I told her that I already walk my dogs every day and her house is on the way so I would be happy to take him out every now and then. Then, the very next day, I saw another lady with these two, Mat and Sam, struggling to walk so I walked up to her as well and asked if she was okay. She said she just had her hip replaced and found it very hard to walk her dogs so I got them too… I actually have nine dogs scheduled to be walked every day of the week. I don’t even get paid for this. I never wanted to. To be honest, I would actually pay them to let me walk the dogs because there isn't better therapy for me than this."
"The other day, I was at the bus stop, and a lady was waiting a few meters away from me. She looked very sad, so I decided to speak to her. I didn't acknowledge that she was sad; I simply asked her how long she had been waiting for the bus. She replied it had been a while..."
"...and then we chatted about everyday things. She seemed alright. When the bus arrived, I sat down, and she sat behind me. About five minutes later, she asked if she could sit next to me, and from then on, she cried all the way to Dublin. She was very upset about her daughter, who she said had gotten involved with the wrong crowd and was out for nights without saying where she was going. She was so worried and didn't really know what to do. I think she just needed someone to talk to so I listened. I read a book once that said, 'A stranger is just a friend you don't know.' I may never see her again, but I know in that moment, I was her best friend all the way to Dublin."
"I was coming out of the shop with a bottle of vodka in my hand when I bumped into a man who works in the homeless services. He said, 'Jeff! Where the fu*k have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages!' 'I was sleeping in a tent in Phoenix Park,' I said, 'I can’t get a bed anywhere!' He asked what I was doing..."
"... that day, but I just said 'Nothing' because I couldn't tell him the truth. He said, 'Grand! Come with me, and I'll sign you up for a bed.' I remember sitting on the bed that night, thinking I should really tell someone… It was like bits of me were coming back, and I was looking for help. The next day, I went down to the chap, and I told him that I was just about to end my life just before we met. I broke down and I started to cry, telling him how much I hated alcohol. I knew it was killing me. It was what made me think of walking under a bus. He asked me if I had ever heard of the Simon Community’s three-week detox program? I was like, 'What’s the point? I was drinking for 30 years, do you think they will be able to cure me in three weeks?' 'No way,' I said. He told me if I did it, he would give me a bed for those three weeks. What did I have to lose? So I went in, and I was sweating so much the first day, but after the third day, I felt like I was in fu*kin' paradise. It was like magic; everyone was so nice there. I did the three weeks, and then I got the notice that I was accepted into the six-month recovery program, and I was able to move into a lovely house in the city. I didn’t know anyone in there, but in an hour, it felt like home. I wasn’t nervous, and I was able to talk to people without any anxiety. It was just a total transformation! My issues were blown away. Gone! Since then, I joined meditation groups and art classes… I joined all sorts of art projects. I’ve been off alcohol for five years now, and I've never felt better. I think about that day like my mother was looking after me from up there. She must have sent that chap, right when I was ready to change."
This post was created in partnership with The Simon Community
“It was Halloween night. I got radioed to a call so I walked through the hospital and jumped in the elevator. On the next floor, this little boy with a huge bandage over his head got into the elevator with his Mam. He looked at me and asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ I was like, ‘Well, I’m here to check on you! How are you doing?’ He said ‘I’m fine… but I don’t like the fireworks and the bangers. They’re too loud.’ So I said ‘You know what? I’m going to get a big bucket of water and I’m going to collect all the fireworks and put them in it.’ He laughed, and as we walked out of the elevator he asked me my name. I said ‘My name is Eimear!’ And he replied ‘That’s great, now I know two Guards!’ About two weeks later, I was doing nights, and while walking around the hospital I heard a lady say ‘Are you Garda Eimear?’ I said ‘Yes! How can I help?’ She said ‘You probably don’t remember but you met my son a few weeks ago in the elevator and he couldn’t stop talking about you ever since.’ I said ‘Aww! Of course, I remember! How is he doing?’ She got very upset then. She told me they were looking for treatment for him abroad. I felt like I had to do something, to at least acknowledge him and show that I was thinking of him. I wanted to cheer him up. My initial idea was to give him a goodie bag, but when I told a sergeant he suggested that I make him an ‘Honorary Junior Garda’. So a few weeks later, this little fella was going around the hospital in a full custom-made Garda uniform with a hat and a badge. Unfortunately, he’s no longer with us. But he taught me a lot about the importance of being nice at all times. That little chat in the elevator had a huge impact; not only on him and his family but also on me. He gave me a reason to become one of the volunteers with Little Blue Heroes.”
This post was created in partnership with 98Fm
“My mother got a brain haemorrhage and died suddenly when I was eleven. I started going a bit mad… I didn’t know how to handle losing her. I got involved with the wrong crowd and I started having issues in school too. I was convinced that I was dyslexic. I was always kept back in class to finish up the rest of my work because I could never read or spell properly…"
"...Eventually, I was sent to a school for destructive kids and they tried to teach me there too but I could never finish a book. I was sixteen when I got sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison. I used to go to the school in prison and there was a teacher there… The art teacher! I had a crush on her. One day, I had a book in my hand, it was called Jackie loves Johnser OK? I don’t know why I had it in my hand but she saw it and asked me about it and I told her that I'd only just picked it up. She asked me to let her know how it was when I finished. I just really wanted to have a conversation with her, so I took the book to my cell and I must have tried to read it about 50-60 times before I got the gist of it. After that, she started bringing me all sorts of books. There was nothing better to do in the prison, so I spent my days reading and by the time I turned eighteen, I was reading big books like Shantaram and Papillon and writing and spelling just came with it. I've loved reading ever since. I’m on a Pathways Programme at the moment… I’m hoping to start college next year. I would like to do a youth work course to work with kids that had to go through what I’ve been through. I would like to be someone they can talk to, someone who knows how it feels… I could use my experience and turn it into something meaningful.”
This post was created in partnership with Ana Liffey Drug Project
“I've been in Ireland for over 22 years now. When people ask me where I am from, I always say I am from Dublin. I am a Dub! They usually laugh it off or ask, 'Okay, but where are you originally from?' I mean, if I think about it, I could not be any closer to that title. I know Dublin like the palm of my hand..."
"...I drove all over the country with Go-Ahead Ireland and I am getting to know the whole country better than most. I moved here when I was a kid. I worked hard to fit in, and to be honest, besides my skin colour, there's not much else left to change. I don’t expect people to stop asking that question, but somehow, it always hurts a little. I love Ireland, and this is my home. I work here. I live here. I pay my taxes here. The only place where I felt instantly accepted was when I began to drive for Go-Ahead Ireland. The people there are just fantastic. Driving a bus may not be a dream job for everyone, but man, sure it is for me!”
This post was created in partnership with National Transport Authority, TFI - Transport for Ireland to promote the discussion about diversity and inclusivity in Ireland and to bring awareness to their opposition of racism and discrimination of any kind on public transport.
"I grew up in Croatia, in an environment that didn’t provide opportunities. It wasn’t the best place to grow up in. I don’t really remember much from my childhood; my brain tends to erase things from my past. I had to get a little older to realise that I had some form of PTSD. Now I can see that my mother had her own difficulties..."
"...she was a single parent looking after my twin brother and me. She had a lot of issues... to cut it short, it was an environment that you have to escape. I couldn't fix it so I left. I came to Ireland as soon as I turned 18. It all happened quickly. I got a summer job in Croatia and saved about €1,000; just enough to change my life. It was already September, I finished high school and college was never an option for me. I bought a one-way ticket to Dublin. I worked as a kitchen porter and do all sorts of odd day jobs just to get by, I would sleep rough in Phoenix Park until I got enough money to pay for my brother’s flight. Despite being homeless, we were surprised by how much food we had; we already felt we were better off. There is so much support for homeless people in Dublin, so much food and clothes, and services, everything you need. My approach was to take every opportunity to improve myself, and by connecting to all sorts of services and volunteering, I was able to improve my life. I got into transitional housing and subsequently into education. Now, at the age of 26, I have a Master's Degree. Being connected to so many charities and getting to know so many people, these services took on a role of a parent for us. Through that, we were able to climb the ladder. I now work as Service Manager with Tiglin at the Lighthouse, and my brother is a manager at our other centers doing residential for young adults. We like to think that our work is very important because, without places like this, people would do much worse. The majority of the service users are good people, and they come here for safety, even if it’s only for a few hours, and that’s what we provide here."
This post was created in partnership with TIGLIN.ie
"This is Shane. He used to be a busy chef but he got a hip injury so he had to look for another career; this is how he ended up in DSPCA. I met him here and we became best friends. I would do anything for this guy! My life didn’t have an easy start. I was found chained to a brick under a trailer somewhere in the country. I was in pretty rough condition. I was left in the dirt, I had almost no fur to protect me and most of my teeth were missing. I was on the edge of giving up, to be honest. I always thought that humans were the scariest creatures in this world. I was very scared of them all. When they took me here I didn’t realize that they actually saved me. I tried to bite everyone who came close to me, but there was Shane. Nobody was ever that gentle or patient with me. Even though I tried to bite him many times he kept coming back, offering me food or just sitting next to me. We eventually started to bond and a few weeks later he took me to his home. I have to say it was a bit crazy there. He has another six dogs and two little humans at home so eventually I had to get friendly with all of them. I remember while I was living there, I used to carry a bag of food everywhere I went. Even if I wasn’t hungry. It was just so comforting to know that I could eat at any time I wanted. Shane gave me warm baths and treated my fur which slowly grew back. I could not believe that my fur was actually white. They were supposed to put me up for adoption as they do with all the other dogs, but we became so close that he kept me. Now I work here too. We do the same shifts so we spend the whole day together.”
This post was created in partnership with DSPCA.ie
“My life turned upside down when I lost my husband to suicide. My children were five and nine when we lost him. We had a very difficult few years to say the least… I was so busy looking after my children, making sure that they were going to come out of this in the best way possible, that I had completely stopped taking care of myself and my own mental health..."
"...That lead me to 2019 when I was suffering very badly from stress and anxiety. I began to look for ways to try and heal myself. I tried exercise, I tried meditation and yoga but nothing really seemed to make a significant difference in how I felt. One day, I was looking out to the ocean, I had heard about the great healing of the sea, so I thought I would give it a go. The following morning I went in and I came out as a totally different person. The whole experience, the cold water and the waves gave me no time to think about anything else but to be present. I felt like I had left all my troubles on the shoreline that morning. It was truly a healing experience from day one. I wanted to grab onto this feeling, but I knew that life gets better through big commitments so I thought, I’d invite some people to swim with me and that would ensure that I wouldn't skip any days. I put up a post on Instagram that night and the next morning there was one woman who’s husband saw my post and encouraged her to swim with me - and from then on it just grew and grew every day. The biggest number of people were about 1400 one August morning. My IG page started took off as well and I found a new purpose in promoting the benefits of sea swimming, the importance of mental health awareness, community and being kind and looking out for one and other. The word began spreading from this tribe of like-minded sea swimmers lifting each other's mood and supporting each other every morning. The transformation that I gained from this community was bigger than anyone will ever know. Nobody escapes this life without walking a few steps in pain, but we can help each other make the walk a little easier by giving a little company. Let it be a phone call, a walk in the forest or dipping in the sea together.”
This post was created in partnership with Movember
"My modelling career started when I was nineteen. At the time, I was living in Italy with my father while I was going to university. One day, I was in Milan when I got scouted by two modelling agencies. I was so excited about the opportunity that I ended up signing with one, took a break from university, and moved to Milan full-time..."
"...For the next four years, I was going back and forth between Milan and the University. I loved living there! I made a lot of friends and although I experienced a lot of blunt racism in Italy, at the time, I hadn’t really thought about it a lot. That was until an incident happened that really stayed with me. I remember hanging out with my friends in a crowded restaurant in Milan and there was a man standing behind me. I think I may have bothered him by standing with my back too close to him. But, before I could even recognise his presence, he decided to burn his cigarette through my dress! He then looked me in the eyes and said the ’N’ word…
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Although my 19-year-old self recognised that it wasn’t fair of him to do and say that, I remember trying to figure out what I did that was so awful that it provoked him to treat me that way. Over time though, while similar incidents pile up, you begin to desensitised yourself from these encounters. You stop trying to deal with them and you stop overthinking them. You began to accept that, well, this is just how it is when you look different. By the time I won Miss Universe Ireland as the first black Irish, I was so grateful for the overwhelming support from the people of Ireland that I was prepared for the few racist comments on social media. Because I had a more important mission in front of me. From my experience in modelling and working as a datanaut for NASA, I want to become a role model for girls who can identify with me. I wanted to show them that if I can get there, they can do it too."
“I used to work on the Dublin Port, 24 hours on and 48 hours off shifts. She used to love that. She loved that we could spend a full day together and on those days we always went on a date somewhere. When she was going shopping, she always brought me with her. She had a driving license and, although she was a good driver, she always told me that she felt safer when I was beside her..."
"...I was always happy to keep her company. Our story was a real love story until the day she got diagnosed with cancer. She was in her early 50s and passed away a little over a year later. We were together for 27 years. After she died, I looked after our children and was a widower for four years. Christmas times were the hardest. When she knew she was dying, she always told me: 'when I die, you get yourself another lady!' That was just her personality, you know? One day, just before Christmas, I thought I would give it a try. I knew a lady but only from seeing her around. I heard she became a widow around the same time as me, so I looked her up in the telephone book and I asked her out. She said no, but a couple of hours later she called me and said: 'OK'. Later, she told me that it was her son who changed her mind. We went on a date; a first date again after 31 years. I felt like a child I was so excited. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I believe she felt the same way, but eventually we started to talk and ended up having a great time. We have now been married for 22 years. We both know we haven’t got the same love like before and we respect each other's memories. She is very good to me and I am very good to her too. Sometimes, it feels like I have lived two different lives… and I feel lucky that I could share my life with two wonderful ladies…”
THE LATEST STORIES
HUMANS OF DUBLIN BOOK
Humans of Dublin is a compelling collection of funny, poignant, and deeply touching stories from the streets of Ireland’s capital—based on the acclaimed social media project that has captured hearts both locally and internationally. The journey began when Peter Varga, a Budapest native working in a Dublin café, made the bold decision to pursue his passion for photography and storytelling. Inspired by the success of Humans of New York, Peter began walking the streets of Dublin with his camera and a simple question. What followed was a life-changing project that uncovered the hidden stories of everyday people—stories that reveal the humour, hardship, hope, and humanity woven through the fabric of city life.
Since its launch, Humans of Dublin has grown into a powerful social platform with over 120,000 followers, with individual stories often reaching hundreds of thousands worldwide. The book, a beautifully produced hardback, features a carefully curated best-of selection from Peter’s archive—portraits and interviews that reflect the rich diversity and emotional depth of the city and its people.
From tales of resilience and laughter to those of love, loss, and transformation, this collection reminds us of the shared experiences that connect us all. Humans of Dublin is not just a book—it’s a mirror to the soul of a city.
