They say a
picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to historical events this old
addage rings especially true. Preserving photographic evidence of Ireland’s
history is incredibly important to understanding and remembering our heritage
which is why the Irish Photo Archive is dedicated to digitizing the massive
amount of film that is stockpiled in the small Dublin-based office.
The content of
the 3.5 million negatives the Irish Photo Archive curates covers 60 years of
Irish history from visits by US President John F Kennedy, The Beatles, The
Rolling Stones and Muhammed Ali to quiet photographs that document every day
Irish life, industry, sporting events and nature.
The photographs
are used for a multitude of purposes; to illustrate books, be displayed at
museums or photography exhibits, for use in newspapers or simply for a personal
collection.
The process of
digitizing the photos is fairly straightforward, consisting of scanning the
negatives in a PC, enlarging, rotating and enhancing the image before uploading
it to the Irish Photo Archive website. While the process is simple, the sheer
amount of images that have been accumulated over the company’s 60 year history
makes this a gargantuan task for the Lensmen’s small team.
A typical day
would consist of scanning a box of negatives from the many that line the wall
of the office. One set of negatives was recently digitized by the request of a
dosumentarian, putting together a film about extreme weather conditions in
Ireland. After receiving the request we consulted the handwritten logs left by
Lensmen’s previous photographers, going to the year of 1963 to find the details
of the photographs of the weather conditions that year. After finding the entry
in the log book we find the box that corresponds to the number in the book and
proceed to scan the negatives and perform any digital enhancements that may be
required.
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| Irish Photo Archive - boxes of negatives |
1963 saw one of
the harshest winters Ireland has ever faced, covering most of the nation in thick
layers of snow and ice. The pictures in the archive depicted scenes of
neighbourhoods blanketed in snow, icy ponds and snowball fights. Blizzards and
snowdrifts affected people living in the eastern parts of Ireland, creating
dangerous living conditions for weeks as the temperature plummeted below
freezing.
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| Children playing in the snow - 1963 |
Once scanned and
sent to the requestee, the photos are then added to the online archive helping
to weave the rich tapestry that is Ireland’s national history. While not all of
the photos document a momentous event in Irish history, they all offer a
snapshot of Irish life throughout the years, tapping into our shared nostalgia
for simpler times. Explore the online photo archive for yourself to learn more
about Ireland’s days gone by.
