National Library set to preserve images from all around Longford

Images from around Longford are being preserved in The National Library of Ireland (NLI) as part of a project to document a changing country.

The NLI, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced the first recipient of their inaugural Photographer-In-Residence as Paula T Nolan.

Paula’s project, titled ‘ReViewing Ireland: A Photo Study of Ireland’s Environment’, involves travelling via public transport to each of the 26 counties over a period of one year.

“I put together a proposal based on the brief the EPA had prepared,” Paula told the Leader.

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Paula’s project saw her travelling via public transport nationwide over the course of a year to capture the changing Irish environment.

It will culminate in a collection of photographs of all 26 counties, to be added to the National Photographic collections: “The photographs make up an archive that will be in the national library in perpetuity,” she said.

The photographer used historic photos found in the National Library’s collections and is now retaking photos of the landscape, site or area as it is now.

In some places there has been radical change, and in others far less.

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The photographer used her graphic designer background to inform her choice of image: “I've used a lot of archives in the past in book design. That has given me an insight into the interesting aspect of things you pass by every day.

“The photographs you gravitate to are the ones you would not think of taking at the time; people walking by a shop, Main St Longford.

“I try to take pictures that people will see as being more than just of environmental interest, ones with added interest as well.”

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She is now connecting with EPA scientists and experts to learn more about the landscape she is photographing, and how the changing climate has impacted how they look - or how particular sites are used today.

Connecting with local communities and groups is central to her project. In Longford, Paula has visited: Longford Town Mall Walk, Tarmonbarry Weir, and Longford Main Street: “When I was a child I visited Longford often, I had family here and I always liked Longford,” she concluded.

The EPA was founded in 1993 and is sponsoring the programme as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations.

The resulting final series of digital photographs will become part of the permanent national collections at the National Library of Ireland.

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