The magazine of the photo-essay
December 2016 issue
by Claude le Gall
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
All these photographs were taken between 1982 and 1994, at a time
when the Celtic Tiger had not flexed its muscle yet. In the years that
followed, the economy picked up and Ireland changed completely,
becoming one of the wealthiest countries in the European Community.
The Ireland that I photographed reminded me of the Brittany of my
infancy. I travelled the length and breadth of the country over a period of
twelve years, meeting a lot of people who were more than happy to
spend a little time with a French photographer who had become
fascinated with their land.
Religion still played an important part in the lives of the Irish. Sadly, many
had to emigrate to make a living overseas. I remember going to an
“Australian party” in 1982 to bid farewell to an Irish friend who has lived
in Sydney since.
Many of the people I photographed did not have easy lives but they
usually shrugged off their difficulties with the same sentence “ Ach, it could be worse!”. Ireland has changed
considerably but I still cherish the warm encounters I had in those days when I used to go there “just for the craic”.
Claude LE GALL , November 2016
Puck Fair. Killorglin, 1985.
Weather forcast. Kerry 1985.
County Mayo. 1987.
Young traveller and his horse. Carlow, 1989.
Smithfield Market, Dublin 1990.
Croagh Patrick, 1989.
Greyhounds, 1994.
Brinalack, Donegal, 1984.
Brinalack, 1989.
Gola Island, 1989.
Puck Fair, Killorglin, 1989.
Kilmacduagh, 1985.
Near Tuam, 1983.
Graiguenamanagh, 1983.
Man in cemetery, Dooey, 1984.
Templar's inn, Fethard, 1983.
Falcarragh, 1984.
Brinalack, 1984.
Ramsgrange, 1982.
Music session. Fouksmills, April 1983.
