Weddings, funerals, royal visits, coronavirus… how Sunday Life photographers captured bleak year

Photographers are so often our windows onto the world and in this year of a raging global pandemic they have risked their lives to bear witness.

ut on the front line of Covid-19 photographers in Northern Ireland faced unprecedented challenges in documenting the news and events which shaped 2020.

Despite the difficulties our photographers at Sunday Life captured images which will be looked back on for generations as people remember this remarkable, terrible and tumultuous year.

Despite the constant shadow of the pandemic there were moving tales of miraculous recoveries, like the story of little 17-month-old Kainan Thompson whose parents Danielle and Samuel were delighted to welcome him home after he beat Covid-19 in May.

We also watched as social distancing became part of our everyday lives including births, funerals and everything in between.

The huge funeral of former IRA man Bobby Storey in west Belfast made headlines in June due to concerns around alleged breaches of government guidelines by Sinn Féin members including deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill.

Disruption was felt in every aspect of our lives and families in particular were forced to adapt to new ways of life including home-schooling their children.

The coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and related issues dominated 2020 but was punctuated by a number of high profile events including the rise of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement following the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in the US in May.

These included a rally at Belfast’s Custom House Square in the city centre which saw a massive, mostly socially distanced, protest.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Orangemen and women from across the province took part in scaled-down July 12 celebrations in their own neighbourhoods including the Eleventh night bonfires.

Award-winning Sunday Life photographer Colm O’Reilly spoke of the challenges he and his colleagues faced throughout the year as they did their job.

He said: “It was a difficult year for everyone and I certainly found it challenging from a professional perspective.

“It was sometimes tricky to gain people’s trust amid worries around catching the virus under the circumstances, which is understandable.

“We always assured them safety is our first priority and I’m grateful many people gave me access to their lives at this remarkable time.

“There was always the overhanging worries about Covid from a personal perspective, worries about catching it or spreading it, but every precaution was always being taken whenever doing picture jobs and returning home.

“It was a privilege to be allowed to document many personal moments throughout the year, one being a long-standing engagement of 29 years, a couple called Margaret McDowell and Stephen Scott, who finally tied the knot.

“Another was the story of 17-month old Kainan who beat Covid, it was lovely to share that with the wee boy and his family.

“Our coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests sticks out as well and I’d like to thank my colleague Liam McBurney for his work on that and countless other projects through the year.”

Some of the more uplifting stories of the year include Mo Farah’s visit to Larne in which he narrowly missed out on a new British record after winning the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, the miraculous reuniting of NHS nurse Kim Armstrong and her long-lost dad Roy McComb for Father’s Day after 58 years apart, and joy for the gay community as same-sex marriage became legal for the first time.

Sunday Life