NLI's photographic exhibition featuring Longford celebrates the age of analogue photography in Ireland

The exhibition captures the social, cultural and technological changes that have taken place across Ireland from the middle of the 19th century up to the turn of this century, and features a photo capturing a moment in historical Longford life.

The exhibition offers unique glimpses into Irish history and ordinary Irish lives, as well the evolution of photography, including a snapshot of women in the 1860s selling refreshments in Killarney and a remarkable shot of a passing steam train in Clones, Co Monaghan in 1959.

The exhibition comprises 50 photographs taken between 1858–2001, representing the age of analogue photography in Ireland. Photographs on display include early forms such as salt paper print and stereo-pair up to more contemporary photography.

One striking image in the exhibition, titled ‘Fair day in Longford town, County Longford’ was taken in 1918. The image shows a bustling and busy main street in Longford town, crowded with horse-drawn carts. The “Don’t Worry” sign on gable end dates this photograph to the time of the Spanish Flu pandemic in Ireland. The signs were put up in 1918 to boost morale during a period of high mortality from the disease. The message was recreated in the same location by a local artist during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. The photograph comes from Robert French, who was the chief photographer responsible for photographing three quarters of the Lawrence Collection now housed with the National Library of Ireland (NLI).

Commenting, Acting Head of Exhibitions, Learning and Programming at the NLI and curator of this exhibition, Sara Smyth said: “What’s collected today becomes history tomorrow. As Ireland’s memory-keeper, the NLI continues to collect and share a vibrant national collection that documents historical and contemporary life on the island of Ireland, including County Longford. The NLI houses over five million photographs, which are a visual record of the history and culture of Ireland.

“The People and Places exhibition will run until 2025. This first phase features framed photographs from 20 of our most popular collections. The images selected speak to the diversity of Ireland, with photographs representing almost every county, North and South of the Border.

“We highlight working-class and middle-class communities; women, who usually appear less often than men in history telling; and we juxtaposition rural communities alongside their urban counterparts. Themes, such as climate change and transport, are also addressed.”

As part of Culture night on Friday 22^nd September, the exhibition space is open late until 9pm, free entry and no booking necessary.

The People and Places exhibition in Temple Bar warmly welcomes school tours and groups, like photography societies and historical societies. To book a group, simply contact the NLI team on learning@nli.ie.

To discover more photographs from the NLI’s vast collections, go to www.nli.ie.

ENDS