Photo Album of Ulster

What do our family photographs reveal about our lives?

What do they conceal?

Photo albums give a fascinating insight into our private histories.

From Dr. Eric Scott family archive

Belfast bomb from Peter McKee archive

UVF, Ballybegley, Newtown, Donegal, 1913, from Roulston family archive

Unionists, Monaghan from George Knight family archive

They can reveal details about how people lived and worked that official historical records often overlook. The project looks at the role photography plays in constructing and commemorating our histories – viewed from the perspective of private individuals and families.

The Photo Album of Ulster is a Photo Museum Ireland archival research project inviting people from across Ulster to digitally share their family albums and private photo collections. This emerging, democratic archive explores themes of identity, changing social conditions, emigration and effects of conflict – preserving this important cultural material for future generations.

Maze Prison, 1983, from McKeown family archive

Family Party, Philadelphia 1960’s, from the Conlon family archive

1st Anniversary March to commemorate Bloody Sunday, 1973, from the McKee family archive

Revd Dr Eric Scott with friends Assembly College Belfast 1914-18, from Dr. Eric Scott family archive

Victoria Barracks, Belfast, February 1916, from the Madden family archive

We are working with a cross section of people from diverse communities to include: marginalised voices: political activists; families of combatants; communities affected by conflict, cultural isolation and partition. The exhibition features the photo album collections of the McKay and McKeown families from County Antrim, the Shackleton family from County Cavan, the Revd. Dr. Eric Scott and Roulston familes from County Donegal, the archive of Peter McKee from County Down and the Clerkin, Conlon, Knight and Madden families from County Monaghan. The archive is continuing to build. We are currently working with families in Counties L/Derry and Antrim.

Peter McKee family with his family archive

Kate Horgan with her family archive

A member of the Scott family with their family archive

Laurence McKeown with his family archive

The Photo Album of Ireland is an emerging democratic photographic archive inviting people from around Ireland to digitally share their family photographs. The project has 3 main elements – archival scanning workshops, online archive and touring exhibition/projection programme. A cross-section of over 60 individuals and families from all over Ireland have contributed to date. The archive has, to date, scanned over 8,000 photographs spanning the history of analogue photography, from the earliest photographs taken in the 1850’s to the advent of digital photography in the early 1990’s. It includes an extensive range of images – from informal snapshots, studio portraits and ‘official’ photographs through to substantial family archives, many seen here for the first time. Essays have been contributed by leading photo historians and writers. The work of the archive has been shared through a series of programmed events, exhibitions and outdoor projections around Ireland. The archive will continue to develop.

Curator Trish Lambe speaking on the Photo Album of Ulster

The many families whose archives are included in the exhibition came to see it in person.

The Photo Album of Ulster Project is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund, Gallery of Photography and Monaghan County Council Heritage Office.

Organised in collaboration with touring partners: Monaghan County Council Heritage & Arts Office, The Hunt Museum, Limerick, Donegal County Museum, Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Galway City Museum and Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr.