Ireland at Work

6 November 2003 - 21 February 2004
National Photographic Archive

NLI Reference: TIL537

Ireland at Work, a National Photographic Archive exhibition of images of traditional 19th and 20th century work practices and occupations was opened by Peter Cassells, Executive Chairperson of the National Centre for Partnership and Performance, on 6 November 2003.

The exhibition focused on the more traditional occupations in Ireland during the period 1880 to 1970, providing interesting insights into the ways in which the majority of the Irish population earned their living during this period. While it covered a range of occupations, it particularly focused on three industries – farming, fishing and textiles manufacturing. Each of these has been extremely important to the Irish economy and each has undergone huge changes. In addition, the exhibition featured lacemaking, farriery and cooperage – old skills that are now in sharp decline – as well as a number of occupations that are still very much in existence today.

Ireland at Work

The exhibition also featured the work of Irwin Dermer, an American photographer who recorded images of declining crafts in various European countries during the 1960s. Among the artisans profiled were James Brennan, a wheelwright from Kilkenny, and Robert Kennedy, a farrier from Belfast. Dermer’s work, entitled The Old Trades, is housed in a permanent collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and in the National Museum of American History, Washington DC.

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