'I had to give something back' says Longford photographer who showcases online

In the age of social media, everybody has the opportunity to showcase their lives and talents to the world. For Adrian Wróbel, he has used social media to display the wonderful side of Longford with his page: ‘Longford in the Lens’.

Adrian is from Poland, and moved to Longford in 2005. He chatted about how he “needed to learn a little about my new hometown, immerse myself in its culture, familiarize myself with its history, and discover interesting places.” With various trips around Ireland, Adrian took his camera with him, which is what started his passion, which took off in 2009-2010.

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“In the early years, we mainly traveled around Ireland,” he explained when asked about how he got into photography, “visiting the country's most popular tourist attractions. Later, I got a taste of mountain hiking and discovered my new love – running. While engaging in this physical activity, I also manage to take photos. During various runs and races, I also try to capture interesting moments and places.”

During these adventures, Adrian also wrote a travel book for Ireland in the Polish language, which he stated took a great amount of work: from research, to weeks of preparation, and crafting the final text, which he has considered an unforgettable adventure.

However, like many people, the Covid pandemic affected lives and passions, keeping people contained in their residential areas. Adrian reflected on this.

“When we were finally able to leave our homes, I decided to start photographing Longford and the surrounding area a little more. Of course, I'd have done this before, but now I wanted to focus more on my own backyard and see what interesting things were hidden here. I knew Longford wasn't the Ring of Kerry or Connemara, but I also knew it had its gems too; they just needed to be discovered.

As the saying goes: "You praise someone else's, but you don't know your own" - I decided that I would gradually get to know and discover this small, local land of mine.”

This was the beginning of ‘Longford in the Lens’ to showcase Longford and the wider county.

“I try to showcase interesting places, interesting buildings, and tourist attractions, both well-known and lesser-known, all steeped in history and various information. I'd like this profile to feature more than just photos with short descriptions. My ambition is that, in addition to high-quality photographs, people can also learn about the history of a given place (if I can uncover it and share it), and about its informative aspects. I hope that individual stories are and will continue to be shared in a way that everyone will enjoy.”

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Adrian also captures local events and activities, and calls the Facebook page a mini-hub for Longford culture. Longford Parkrun has combined his love for running and photography, and he states that he knows every corner of it.

“Longford took me under its wing and allowed me to live here for over two decades, so I had to give something back.”

‘Longford in the Lens’ is available for public viewing to enjoy impressive photos of the county. The page presently has 1.1k followers, with scenic view, interesting summaries and public platform to display the best of what Longford has to offer. See: https://www.facebook.com/p/Longford-in-the-Lens-100065609316480/