Writes Leo McMahon
‘This is a book that will stand the test of time’ declared cathaoirleach of Carrigaline Municipal District, Cllr Seamus McGrath at the PACE Centre, Passage West recently when launching photographer Joe Healy’s book ‘Cork in Decades Past’.
‘It captures so many images of people, places, buildings, streetscapes and occasions from the past and I have no doubt it will be on shelves for many years to come in the cabinets of houses and pulled out now and again to have a look at what Joe captured with his camera and show how professional and perfectionist he is’.
‘We’re all familiar with the phrase ‘a picture speaks a thousands words’. I think that understates it, it’s a million words. When you look through history and look at iconic photographs, these have so many stories and we’ve learned so about our past since photography began. Joe has captured these with descriptions of each of the 165 photographs in his 150 page book,’ said Cllr McGrath.
‘We live now in an online world when there have never been so many photos being taken with our phones but how many good quality ones are taken, catching the right moment. Joe has done this’.
Cllr McGrath said Joe Healy was ‘an absolute gentlemen’ a popular community person involved in Passage West Maritime Museum. He had a big following with his huge volume of work on Facebook featuring the railway, Carrigaline and the city where he was born and was a founder of Carrigaline Photographic Society. A former PRO of the Festival, he ran a community magazine and once had a photo shop in the town.
The fact Cork Public Museum was taking his collection and the large attendance at the launch showed the high regard for Joe who resides at Raheens near Carrigaline. He also paid tribute to his family for their support of an ‘absolutely fantastic’ project.
‘Sometimes we think change happens slowly and we get frustrated but when you look at Joe’s photographs, you realise how much change has taken place since the ‘eighties and so on and we sincerely hope we will see more changes for the positive through investment in this area and captured by Joe’s pictures’.
Lord Mayor of Cork Dan Boyle said while he was out of his jurisdiction, he contacted Joe because he wished to give the imprimatur of the city council for ‘an extraordinary book’ with so many pictures spanning the life of the city and surrounding area from the end of the 19th century to the start of this and how it had evolved.
‘Joe’s book isn’t only entertaining and enjoyable, it’s a social document recording Cork for all of us and it deserves to be in as many households as possible,’ said Cllr Boyle who pointed out that had so many of the pictures not been taken, so much of who we were, from where we had come and how we got here would have been lost.
Digital officer in Cork Public Museum, Dara McGrath said about a year ago, curator Dan Breen, himself and other colleagues decided to increase its photographic collection. Joe was one of the first names on the list, he agreed, and it had been lovely on a regular basis for them over the past nine months talking with him about each of the images he donated, all of which will be digitalised.
Dara spoke about the wonderful stories associated with many of the images and Joe’s lovely texts showing culture and society in the ‘seventies and ‘eighties etc as well the ‘then and now’ photos. The museum looked forward to further photographs and conversations with Joe in the coming years.
Joe Healy thanked Cllrs McGrath and Boyle; Daniel Breen for his excellent foreword; Dara Murphy and Mera Qamar of Cork Public Museum; Margaret O’Mahony and Maire Corr-Kelly and many other friends in the maritime museum; David Lester for the poster and especially his wife Eileen – without whom it would not have come about - sons Stephen and Alan and granddaughters Freya and Lauren.
‘I never imagined for a moment that the book would be so successful and I’m grateful to all those who have bought a copy. Having practically sold out in a matter of weeks, what we have here is all that’s left of the initial print run. However, I’m happy to say that a second batch is on the way just in time to fill many a Christmas stocking.
To read more please see the digital copy of The Carrigdhoun.
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