“This photo brings back very special memories for me. I am the first-born in my family, and my dad, Gabriel McKeon, was a medical student when I was born. I was born with a dislocated hip and it was diagnosed late. As a result I had to spend time in Crumlin Hospital.When I was in hospital, Dad cheered me up by promising me that when I took my first steps he would bring me to the Man on the Bridge to have my photo taken. This then became a tradition for us to mark an event. Every summer when he was a student my dad would work in New York, and when he came home he would bring me to O’Connell Street. He would buy a new pair of shoes in Clerys (they’re in the paper bag he’s holding) and I would get a treat (in the Eason’s bag). We would then have our photo taken by the Man on the Bridge. Shortly after the photo was taken,
my family emigrated to England. I have come back to Ireland, but my mum and dad are still in England. This photo has a lot of history and is very close to my heart. I often looked at it in England and thought about my life in Ireland when I was little. It kept a memory alive for me.”
(1968)
Submitted by Edwina Mulcahy ( nee McKeon)