On 10 April 1964, a Lensmen staff member, Steve Treacy, took
this
photograph of Clonony Castle in County Offaly. It was only taken 50 years ago, but it looks
like another world with its donkeys and carts, the castle ruin in the
background, and not a machine to be seen anywhere – unless you count the water
pump.
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| Clonony Castle 10 April 1964 |
However, Steve was on an assignment to photograph scenes
along the River Shannon, and just happened to pass by Clonony Castle between
sites. As with many of our most popular photographs, and indeed many of the
best photographs in general, the image was the result of an unplanned
opportunity rather than a scheduled shoot.
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| K Line Boats, Shannon Harbour |
Despite the ruin of the castle, there were also signs of
progress in the area, as testified by the new
primary school building, and the floating
Shell station on the river at Shannon Harbour. The nearby Clonmacnoise
was another homage to the past, but the beautiful
bridge at Shannonbridge showed that a well-built structure can remain a
living thing for a community.
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| The bridge at Shannonbridge |
Offaly was not the only county visited by Lensmen on this
trip, as the route of the Shannon was followed through Athlone harbour in
Westmeath, Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim and Arigna
near Lough Allen in Roscommon. The variety of activities directly connected
to the Shannon was evident from the photographs taken on this trip. In Athlone,
‘floatels’
or floating hotels were waiting for holiday-makers to come and join them,
in Ferbane in Offaly, the ESB
energy station released warm waste water back into the river, in
Carrick-on-Shannon, the locals depending on the river for their income also
turned to it to relax
during their leisure time.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a job that sends you on a jaunt
along the banks of the Shannon, photographing crumbling castles and pleasure
boats? I wonder how the scenes have changed over the past half century…
All images available @ Irish Photo Archive
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