After five years of living in Dublin City, Matthew Johnston is leaving. In tribute to the city he has grown to love, he has produced a short film with images of Dublin interlaced with the words of poet Louis MacNiece and the music of fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

‘I didn’t know what to make of [Dublin] at first, with its unfamiliar faces, foreign voices, filthy streets, and shiny, yet inhuman progresses,’ said Johnston. ‘Yet it still wormed its way into my existence, it is where I’ve become an adult, made (and lost) friends, fallen in love, made stupid mistakes, and grasped opportunities.

‘Leaving here,’ he said, ‘I will leave a part of myself behind, as well as friends and family, but I hope to fill the gap with new experiences. I know, more than anything, that I will return, because it is home. If you are lucky enough to be here, look beyond the rain, the mess and the idiots in charge, get out into that day and find your city.’ 

Johnston describes the film as a ‘short love letter to the town I will miss’.