BILL DORAN, the content old man in the picture above passed away recently.
Before he did, photographer Peter Varga met Bill in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin, spoke to him for a while and took his picture.
Varga posted Bill's words and picture on the Humans of Dublin Facebook page he created in 2014.
As well as having his photo taken, Bill Doran had told Varga about his growing his tomato plants, his wife passing away and how he felt happy that day out in the fresh air.
After his death last week, Bill's son Derrick Doran got in touch to pass on the news about his dad's passing and to share how much his father enjoyed seeing his picture and story online.
The moving message reads:
Dear Peter, A little while ago you took a photo of my dad sitting on a bench in Dun Laoghaire and he told you about his wife and his cherry tomatoes. His name was Bill Doran. I'm afraid he passed away peacefully on Sunday.
I just would like to let you know he loved what happened from the photo you took and the piece you wrote about him. People from all over the world commented on it, ex neighbours living in Australia commented on it and he loved it. It was one of the highlights of his life. He's been on TV, radio and in the newspapers.
He was an icon well known in Rathmines, and everybody loved him and we were all very proud of him too.
Thank you for making a big part of his life so special."
So far the post on Facebook has been shared and commented on over 1200 times.
Inspired by the popular Humans of New York, it is made up of a collection of portraits and short quotes from strangers on the streets of Dublin.
Its creator Peter Varga, moved from Budapest to Dublin seven years ago, and fell in love with the city. He roams the city looking for people to photograph and talk to. "Through this I've met so many lovely humans and I've had the honour of listening to their wonderful stories. I don’t need to walk hours for a great story, there are so many around us and we walk by them every day not knowing", he says.
See the post here:
Dear Peter,A little while ago you took a photo of my dad sitting on a bench in Dun Laoghaire and he told you about his...
Posted by Humans of Dublin on Tuesday, April 5, 2016
