Lost Ireland in pictures

Press, 28 December 1985, Page 14

Lost Ireland in pictures

Lost Ireland, By Laurence O’Connor. Viking/Ponguin, 1985. 220 pp. 244 plates. $31.95. (Reviewed by John Hickey) In his foreword to “Lost Ireland” Laurence O’Connor writes: “The fifties were a marvellous valley between the immediate aftermath of the War and the economic lift-off of the sixties. Dublin, with its secondhand bookshops, its house auctions and junk shops, was a vast Aladdin’s Cave of everything old.”

Everything old seems to hold an attraction for Laurence O’Connor, and the old books and photographic plates which he started collecting at the age of 18 in 1948 now number some 11,000. From his 4000 or so old photos 244 were selected for “Lost Ireland” by Patrick Gallagher, who was also responsible for the commentaries accompanying each picture. This collection of pictures by anonymous early photographers affords an insight into the activities of the Irish and the conditions under which they lived at the turn of the century. It will appeal not only to the Irish and those with an interest in Ireland, but also to anyone sensitive to the charms of bygone ways. Not that all was charming then: as well as showing us the easy, relaxed style of life enjoyed by some in the old days, this book also includes scenes of hardship and, in the case of the Dublin slums, crushing poverty. A picture may well be worth a thousand words; conversely many pictures can do with a little help if

they are to be fully appreciated. Laurence O’Connor and the reader, may rejoice that the helpful words in this volume have been supplied by someone as knowledegable, authoritative and sympathetic as Patrick Gallagher. He calls attention to noteworthy details in many of the pictures and supplies the information — political, social or cultural a appropriate — needed as background. The collection shows as wide as spectrum as could be expected from 244 pictures. While concentrating mainly on Joycian Dublin, its splendour and its squalor, it also manages to give us more than a glimpse of toe broader scene — decaying villages, busy market towns, grand estates, fishing communities and far-flung Altantic settlements. Many of the activities of the people shown at work and play were to be abandoned as toe present century advanced. And there are signs of the modern, mechanical age here and there, with the horseless carriage making an appearance. This is an excellent book, far removed from the colourful and profitable picture-postcard volumes with which Irish publishing, like its New Zealand counterpart, abounds. It is of generous proportions —32 cm by 24.5 cm, about 12.5 in by 9.5 in. Its layout and design are pleasing and restful Given that the collection represents only 6 or 7 per cent of Laurence O’Connor’s hoard it may not be overoptimistic to hope that a "sequel” will appear in the future — “More Lost Ireland”?