Mark Granier

I was born in London in 1957. We later moved to Dublin where I was brought up and am living presently. I am married with one child. I have an MA in Poetry/Creative writing from Lancaster University, and I teach poetry and creative writing part time. I am a writer (of poetry mainly) and photographer. I also teach creative writing part-time. I first became aware of photography in the 1970s. Robert Frank was probably my first big influence, then Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Martin Parr's 'Bad Weather' and Fay Godwin's 'Land'. Koudelka was another revelation. In 1979, when I was working in a Dublin restaurant, someone lent me their SLR for the day. It was like an unblinkering, the opening of a third eye; I found that this was a language I already spoke with some fluency (having spent a year in Art School probably helped). I have been taking photographs ever since. I supplied the cover photography for my three collections of poetry, 'Airborne' (Salmon, 2001), 'The Sky Road' (Salmon, 2007) and 'Fade Street (Salt, 2010), and am presently working on a number of projects, including a photographic exploration of the Dublin Docklands and the Poolbeg Peninsular.

1974-75
Foundation course in Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design.

1994-95
MA course in Poetry/Creative Writing with Lancaster University.

CV/ & Relevant Biographical Details

I completed the Foundation Year at Dun Laoghaire School of Art in 1975, where I developed a particular interest in etching and photography.

I spent the years since then concentrating on teaching and writing (my second collection of poetry is forthcoming from Salmon in 2007), but maintained a strong interest in visual art, and continued to take photographs and occasionally exhibit in group-shows.

In August 2006 a photograph from my ongoing project was shortlisted for the Observer Seeds of Change exhibition and exhibited in the Oxo Tower Gallery in London.

I have done the cover photography for a number of magazines, including Poetry Ireland Review and The Stinging Fly. I have also done the cover photography for my own books.

My portrait work and been showcased by Picture Works in Dublin. Other work has been exhibited in group-shows at the Signal Gallery in Bray Co Wicklow and Irish Life Mall/Galleries in Dublin. Habitat recently accepted two large landscapes for their Democratic Wall exhibition.
Read more