Photo Album of Ireland

What do our family photographs reveal about our lives? What do they conceal? What stories do they tell? 

Photo albums give a fascinating insight into our private histories. They can often reveal details about how people lived and worked that official historical records simply overlook. In a ground-breaking initiative developed by Photo Museum Ireland the Photo Album of Ireland project is digitising and sharing cherished family photographs and private photo collections. This emerging, democratic archive provides an accessible record of our rich photographic social history. It is a celebration of ordinary life as viewed from the perspective of private individuals. 

This is the first presentation of the Photo Album of Ireland project. It focuses on the role photography plays in constructing and commemorating our histories. The exhibition invites you to explore the wealth of ordinary and extraordinary photographs – from informal snapshots, studio portraits and ‘official’ photographs through to substantial individual archives – many shown here to the public for the first time. Spanning the entire history of analogue photography, it includes rare ambrotypes and dageurreotypes from the 1850s, Victorian cartes-de-visites, box brownie photographs, family albums, colour instamatic snapshots, polaroids and photobooth selfies from the 1980s. A cross-section of over 30 individuals and families from all over Ireland have contributed to date.

The project was formally launched by Minister Heather Humphreys at an exhibition at The Market House, Market Street, Monaghan Town, Monaghan.  Exhibition dates: 9 August - 27 September 2014. Since then we have delivered several editions including the Photo Album of Ulster edition; the Photo Album of the Irish U.S. and the Photo Album of the Irish Canada edition.

In 2024 we will be working with families in England to create the latest edition The Photo Album of the Irish: England edition.

This project is made possible by the
Government of Ireland
Emigrant Support Programme.

Emigrant Support Programme. Photo Museum Ireland is supported by the Arts Council and Dublin City Council. Previous editions have been funded by the Arts Council Touring Award and Monaghan Heritage Services.

The Photo Album of Ireland Project is a Photo Museum Ireland research project funded by the Government of Ireland