The Hawk Against the Dove is a collaboration between Antoinette Foley and James Mahon. It is a documentary project on the remarkable life of Antoniette Foley. It provides an insight into the world of homelessness and addiction. James Mahon is a photographer who has captured images of Antoinette since 2021. Together, they have produced a Book, a Photographic Exhibition, and a series of public talks called the Hawk Talk.

Antoniette, a member of the Traveller community, was born in Sally’s Cross, Kanturk, Co. Cork, in the early 1990s. She is the youngest of eight children. At an early age, the family moved to Kilkenny, settling in the town of Castlecomer.

At the age of 16, she ran away with a traveller boy. They had 3 children together. Unfortunately, the first child, a boy named Martin, was stillborn. After several years, the relationship broke down, and the children moved to live with their paternal grandparents in Donegal.

The relationship breakdown and resultant separation from her children had a devastating impact on Antoinette. Cannabis use progressed to prescription tablets, then heroin and crack cocaine. Her life spiralled out of control.

A woman and a man standing in front of a colorful mural with a butterfly and flower design.

Newspaper page featuring a story about a woman who was homeless and saved by a kind shop owner. Includes photos of the woman, her family, and the shop owner, with quotes and captions.

A woman standing in front of a gray, weathered house with a red door, on an overcast day. She has purple-colored hair and is wearing a pink hoodie, black jacket, brown pants, and white shoes.

By 2019, she was in a relationship with a fellow traveller. He was also suffering from substance abuse issues. Their drug addiction led to homelessness, and by early 2021, they were living in a tent in Athy, Co. Kildare. To fund their habit, Antoniette began begging outside of the local Aldi supermarket, and she became a very familiar figure around the town.

James Mahon is a socially engaged photographer and owner of a retail shop in Athy. He was born and spent his entire life in Athy. He is a former town councillor. During his term of office, he served as both chairman of the Joint Policing Committee and a member of the Regional Drugs Task Force. The tent in which Antoinette was living was located around 100m from James’s shop. In 2021, a chance meeting between the pair began a journey, initially through the medium of photography, that resulted in a transformation. This documentary follows the ups and downs and emotional rollercoaster of the journey. It examines and portrays the struggle of addiction, homelessness, and societal judgment.