Since 11/7 Americans have been made aware that "it" can happen here. This book shows that evil comes with many faces. Not all terrorists wear long beards and dirty pantaloons. Some wear the face of legitimacy and carry "friendly" flags. This book should help every one who reads it keep this in mind. -- Valerie Somers, New York
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1. Why was publishing the book in America so important to you?
   Clearly the US has a huge Irish Diaspora and a very keen interest in all things Irish. From many years of visiting and working in the US I felt it was personally important, politically correct and professionally necessary to publish here. Sound bits on the networks and wire reports from London don’t cut it anymore. The Internet makes all stories more accessible and putting out Family, Friends and Neighbours on the net just made good sense.

2. How do you differentiate between the IRA and those who carried out the attacks on September 11? Do you accept that many people regard the actions of the IRA to be terrorism?
   I accept that many people see the IRA as terrorists and that is their choice. As the song says, "only the very safe can talk about wrong or right. For those that are forced to choose some will choose to fight." Terrorist is a very loaded word in our society and often bears no relation to the moral or political reality. Perhaps we should look at state terrorism and murder. What is the difference between a 2,000 pound laser guided smart bomb and a 2,000 pound car bomb? Sept 11th didn’t happen in isolation, it wasn’t the beginning or end of anything. It was another bloody milestone on the road of conflict that is changing the world order forever. It was a morally repugnant act but so are many of the actions by states that led to it. Address the issues or it will continue to happen.

3. Is it right to show close up images of war and suffering in the media? Isn't there a danger of voyeurism?
   War images such as I have taken in Somalia, the North or Rwanda are undoubtedly voyeuristic but that doesn’t mean wrong. We all want to know what is happening. It is natural curiosity but, unless you are obsessive or overtly fascinated with images of trauma and conflict, it is not wrong. The strongest images actually rarely get published. Editor and publisher like strong but "clean" shots.
   When did you ever see a picture of a wounded or dead soldier or policeman in the North? When do you see the bodies of dead Israeli’s or suicide bombers? Rarely, because in a way it is like a tease. You see the aftermath, the long shot, the context, or the talking head and you are left to imagine the rest.
   In Columbia a few years ago they started showing the horrors of war on the news in black and white. They hoped that the graphic nature of the images would deter further brutality. We as humans commit these acts of savagery but we don’t want to see them up close. That is why we have a moral responsibility to expose our own humanity in a way that respects the victims, highlights their plight and at the same time puts center stage what the price of war is - death and destruction.

4. From your own experience, what effect do you think witnessing violence and hatred has on children?
   Witnessing violence and hatred has as many different effects as there are children. Children are amazingly resilient but are also the most fragile of society and we have a duty to protect them from all violence. Ultimately, violence has a dehumanizing effect where we treat life as less precious and we can easily watch a movie with multiple murders and mayhem without thinking of the morality of it.

5. Do you think that Republicans have achieved their aims now that they are in government in Northern Ireland?
   I don’t think any observers of the conflict in the North would argue that Republicans have achieved their aims based on participation in Stormont.

6. Can the new police service be accepted by Republicans? In your opinion, was the GAA right to abolish Rule 21?
   The PSNI cannot be accepted by the Nationalist Republican community, as it is currently constituted. Of all of the officers involved in assaulting and attacking me over many years, none to my knowledge lost even a day's pay, let alone were disciplined. None have to reapply for their jobs, none will be disbarred for human rights abuses and all will get a golden handshake when leaving the RUC. How could that be acceptable to any democrat?
   Although I am not a member of the GAA I think they were wrong to drop Rule 21 and the majority of people in the area affected by the ruling in the six counties agree. Ironically, while the RUC can join the GAA, GAA members such as ex-prisoners cannot join the new police service.

7. If not for the Troubles, would you still have been interested in photography?
   Photography was an interest from the moment my physics teacher showed me how to develop black and white pictures in the dark room. The war in Ireland simply give me an amazing place to practise taking pictures of my family, friends and neighbours.

8. Doesn't the possibility of manipulating images with today's technology undermine the truth of the camera?
   Today’s technology can do almost anything with a photo but the reality is that most photographers, editors and publishers don’t manipulate images in a negative or distortionate way unless declaring that they are doing so. Most times it is to achieve a better technical result regarding things like contrast or colour rendition. Strong self-evident new images don’t need any manipulation and most photographers endlessly strive for that truth, that decisive moment. It is the essence of photojournalism.

9. What are your plans for the future; what will be your next photographic assignment?
   I have a couple more projects in mind, including another photographic book and now that the book is doing so well maybe I can get back to some more foreign assignments. There are many many stories that need to be told.

If you have any questions or comments, please email the Newshound.