Award-winning Irish director Marion Bergin visited a community of Dublin’s working-class men to profile their equestrian cultural legacy and how horses have transformed their lives. The multidisciplinary filmmaker approaches her work with an anthropological curiosity that questions the status quo and fosters new viewpoints through shared human experience.

Dublin is in the midst of a property development boom and, exacerbated by the media’s demonization of working-class culture, there is a declining number of places where "Dublin lads" can breed, ride and care for their studs—leading to the disappearance of traditional ways of life. 

“These men are painted as ‘hard men’ but I’ve received nothing but warmth and friendliness from them,” says Bergin. Many of the men featured in Saoirse reveal how their horses saved them from drugs and petty crime, while also providing much-needed escapism for their children. Marion's film shows the genteel nature of Dublin’s inner-city communities and celebrates the magnificent bond and devotion they have to their animals. To them, their horse is a part of the family and they want to be able to share this bond with generations to come. 

“Toxic masculinity is something the media has made synonymous with inner-city culture,” says the director. “I chose to shine a different light on these men, to portray them as I saw them – normal people with warm hearts and the same concerns for their futures and families as the rest of us.”

Text by Milana Abensperg Traun