Donal Moloney is a professional photographer based in Dublin who over the last four or five years has spent time exploring abandoned and dilapidated urban and rural locations, or Urbex and Rurex as he names them.

Below, he recalls a home built in the mid-1700s and abandoned just over 20 years ago. He found this location through a friend who had lived there as a young child.

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This farmhouse was built in the mid-1700s but was only abandoned about 20 years ago. The person who alerted me to it asked, "What is it about these old dilapidated places that excite you?" I had to think for a while before I answered.

There are a number of reasons why I explore these 'old dilapidated places.' Rural and Urban exploration constantly reminds me of my mortality. I also enjoy a certain amount of nostalgia, but perhaps the biggest thrill of all is the search for the holy grail. I don't know what it is or how it will look, but I'll know when I find it. I love the hunt and in a perverse way, I enjoy the excitement of the unknown and the possible danger in entering these places.

Read More: Gaelic Memories Photography captures the passion and beauty of Ireland

I love that buzz of being somewhere I shouldn't be. I love that adrenalin-fueled drive home knowing I've conquered another forbidden place and it's safely locked away in my camera.

After photographing at these locations I like to enhance certain aspects of a scene during post-production. It may not be what another sees, but I try to interpret what my own mind's eye captures and stay true to myself.

Read More: The haunting figure of the Lady in White of Kinsale

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You can find more of Moloney’s Urbex and Rurex locations under “Albums" on his Facebook page.

Donal Moloney is a professional photographer based in Dublin. Much of his work is photographing people. His work has been displayed throughout the world and has included campaigns for Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Bank of Ireland and Vodafone, to name but a few.

He also spends much of his time working on his many personal projects and has exhibited on a number of occasions, most notably his widely acclaimed ‘Intruders’ exhibition.

He is currently documenting the lives of homeless individuals and the stories surrounding the decay in abandoned homes and buildings of those long forgotten around Ireland.

For more information visit his Facebook page, follow him on Twitter (@karaokejogger) or check out his website, www.donalmoloney.com.

**Originally published in 2017

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