Széll Kálmán tér; 2012

A Hungarian Moment - Budapest Sequence 1

This square was known as Moszkva tér until recently. There are no prizes for guessing how it came by that name.

Kálmán, Széll, was a liberal prime minister of Hungary the year my grandmother was born, 1900. He knew Ferenc Déak well and married his ward, the daughter of Hungarian poet, Mihály Vörösmarty.

Many streets and squares have been renamed since 2010, reflecting the ups and downs of political philosophies as we blunder our way towards a place in history. The names of streets, the positioning of statues, the paper you read, all count for a lot here. The first time I visited Budapest I was struck by the similarities to the struggling Ireland I remember in the eighties - urgently in need of a breath of fresh air, alternatives, assistance, a way out of a stubborn past cum present tense. Today you will find many people down in the square selling lace cloths, shampoo, religious books, even lucky heather. Trying to make ends meet. Dashing to a bus I pulled out the camera and just managed to grab this Hungarian moment.