"... a foot in foreground" = Ruins of Olderfleet Castle, Larne
Hope none of you are eyeing the foreground uneasily to search for a severed limb, but in our catalogue, this image is titled: "Road approaching village, ruin to right, side-car, tourist party, a foot in foregro... More
"possibly outside railway station"? No, it's Woodside Skating Rink!
Does this location look familiar to anyone? Our catalogue information says "... possibly outside railway station"...Plus I'm wondering is that scaffolding or a railing on roof of the large establishment with th... More
Robert French - Dining Saloon on the S.S. Great Eastern
Thought that after our couple of "shippy" days, it'd be interesting to see what was available to passengers below decks on snazzy (technical term) vessels like the Brunel-designed S.S. Great Eastern, berthed in... More
Unidentified = Eel Weir taken from Town Bridge in Athlone, Co. Westmea...
Thought this was probably on the River Shannon somewhere, but excellent that we now have a proper location for this Lawrence Collection photo that previously had only the rather sad title of Unidentified on our... More
Robert French - Not Licensed to Sell on Sunday
Wonder if that's the proprietor of the Fair Head Hotel in Antrim, Isabella McLaughlin, lurking in the doorway with ducks around her feet? Now known as "Hunter's Bar in Ballyvoy. The Torr Road starts here and ru... More
Dunne, Biplane lantern slide
This could be fun. who, where, when, what?..Niall McAuley ( /photos/gnmcauley/ ) was on the ball with this one right from kick off, he quickly identified the "Dunne" as John William Dunne!..Dunne worked initi... More
A street scene in Cork with tram and passengers!
This is a street scene from Cork with an electric tram and would be passengers. This is from the Fergus O'Connor collection...The Location was correctly Identified as Douglas village in Cork in very quick time... More
Arthur Henri Poole - Wacky Races?
We may well have seen some of these chaps before making cars at the O'Gorman motor works in Clonmel ( nlireland/7127891871 ) 14 years after this photo was taken, but here is the O'Gorman Bros. Social Club in a... More
Blackrock Road, Cork City, Cork, Ireland
This narrow street with an open top electric tram has lots of people about...roaming paddy ( /photos/roamingpaddy/ ) Was spot on with the location very early in the day, Location Identified as Blackrock Road,... More
Arthur Henri Poole - Soldiers Going Away II
Thanks to Niall McAuley ( gnmcauley/ ) for confirmation that this photo was taken at Adelphi Quay in Waterford, and that sign at top right is for Soldiers' Home. And we're indebted to whoever packed the luggag... More
Arthur Henri Poole - Rolls-Royce, but where? Ballyboggan, that's where...
We had some tentative information on this one, not all of which we could stand over in a court of law.....We believed these are Mr and Mrs Philip B. Pierce. This is their Rolls-Royce. The photo may have been ta... More
Oscar Traynor (under the X), Leinster, Ireland
We were originally fairly sure this photo was taken on Monday, 10 July 1922, but wanted to know a lot more about it than we did. If correctly dated, this would have been taken 5 days after Oscar Traynor's anti-... More
Yacht : commissioned by Mrs. Stanley Lyons, 62 Leinster Road, Rathmine...
A fine days sailing in the offing with a fine yacht decked out with bunting and flags. Given that it was during the Emergency it seems a bit 'off' but I'm sure life went on!..We did not discover much about the... More
Tramway demolition, Howth, Co. Dublin
This is the demolition of the Hill of Howth Tramway...The Howth Tram was a tram which circled Howth Head, near Dublin, Ireland, beginning and terminating at Sutton railway station. It operated from June 1901 to... More
U.S. Army Cpl. Thomas Olson, a combat engineer team
U.S. Army Cpl. Thomas Olson, a combat engineer team leader from Company A, 91st Engineer Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, radios the coordinates of a tank fighting... More
Funeral of Major Holmes, R.I.C., killed in ambush at Castleisland, Co....
A lorry load of Auxiliaries, covered by rifle bearing colleagues, lead the funeral of Major Holmes of the Royal Irish Constabulary. He had been killed in an ambush at Castleisland in County Kerry. In the backgr... More
Robert French - Picnicking at Lough Gill
Yet another visit to beautiful Lough Gill to end this week and a view to die for! Mr. French appears to have brought a few of his drinking partners to share the view with him on this occasion though the top ha... More
Robert French - Irish water buffaloes?
This smashing shot from the lens of Mr. French looks so crisp and clear that one could imagine that you were looking at it live! Lough Gill in Sligo is beautiful at any time and this captures the atmosphere an... More
Roofs, spires and water
Having arrived at the northern end of the country on Friday, we decided to go a step further to start this week by going out foreign altogether! This image, from the Hargrave collection, follows the trend of h... More
We're going on a bear hunt! - stereoscopic view, public domain photorp...
A cave deep in the woods would always hold the attraction of exploration and the thrill of danger, especially for the young at heart! Where is this one and has the scene changed much in the last 150 years?..Ro... More
Deep in the valley O! - stereoscopic view, public domain photorpaph
To end the week after some really lovely images, here we have one from our Stereo Pairs Collection of an unidentified valley. It has a cluster of houses nestling below the heavily wooded slopes of a hill. (Cong... More
Robert French - The wheels fell off the wagon!
Reading the catalogue description of this I thought that it would be like a "Cardall" image, an idealised bit of Paddywhackery but when I looked at the image my reaction was WOW! This is so different, almost E... More
"Distant view of pier with lighthouse and houses taken from the sea" i...
Continuing where we left off on Friday (matters maritime) but this time from the wonderful Clonbrock Collection. This view may not be as iconic as the Skelligs, but nonetheless it provides a pleasing vista wit... More
"Street scene, featuring terraced housing and pedestrians : possibly a...
Not one of our most crisp photographs, but there is still a lot going on. The catalogue description suggests a promenade which I for one am inclined to agree with. We will require the help of all of our fashion... More
"Europe leaning to the right" is Antwerp
A Mason image for today with a scene apparently from the Continent of Europe around the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries! The scene is dominated by distinctive church buildings but the street is alive with ... More
Cows scattered like raisins in a cake!
It is quite a while since I have had the pleasure of uploading a Tilbrook shot and this lovely rural scene is a very suitable one for today. While the scene is not specified I suspect that it will be identifie... More
Sentry boxes and crowded pediments
Starting this week with an image from the Joshua H. Hargrave Collection! An official looking building with a number of sentry boxes and an abundance of statues and figures on the pediments of the building. Th... More
Robert French - In splendid isolation
We rejoin Mr. French on his sojourn in Kerry though a further south in this case in Waterville. Holy Island sounds like a great place to sit in the ruins in quiet contemplation?..Thanks all for confirmation of... More
Crash, bang, wallop!, Dublin, Ireland
Mr. O'Dea doing a bit of photo journalism and catching the action almost as it happens? The scene of a collision and quite a serious collision at that with one of the cars on its roof. In 1971 seat belts were... More
Men, Women, Flying Saucers and a Dog!
To end the week we have a lovely group photograph from the Clonbrock Collection. A group of seated men and standing women, several wearing the famous "flying saucer" hats and a beautiful collie dog! No doubt ... More
The ruin and the cross - stereoscopic view, public domain photorpaph
For most of our old photographs the vegetation will have increased in the area since it was taken but in this case hope and suspect that it has actually reduced. An old overgrown building, in a marshy, reed co... More
A truly institutional institution!
To the Stereo Pairs collection today, and to a vast institution somewhere. These great building projects were intended to provide treatment and care for people in a region and have lasted for many years though... More
Robert French - Camlin Falls, Longford, Co. Longford
These unusual water falls in County Longford are today's offering from the Lawrence Collection. Obviously part of a river management system and I imagine an adventure for kayakers if it still exists. I love t... More
Welcome home (to Levuka House, Courtown, Wexford)
The catalogue description of this Eason shot is "Mansion near Gorey, Co. Wexford" and there is a fine house with additional buildings to the rere. For Morning Mary the delightful aspect of it is the two young ... More
"Elderly man at fence: A summer afternoon in Surrey" is Shere near Gui...
May I ask you to spare a thought today for our hardest working Morning Mary who is recovering from a recent operation. This is perhaps one of the most challenging photographs we have ever posted. I will be amaz... More
Robert French - Lawn, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
A lawn with a DesRes in Castlebar would always be a most attractive proposition and this fine house is no exception! I seem to remember a previous shot from Castlebar with an open area/square in the town with... More
"Cavalry and infantry in the battle of the hunt" is neither....
Horsemen and marshals stand and pose for their moment in time. The once respected and much enjoyed experience of hunting (by the humans at any rate) has changed in recent times. Today many oppose the hunt in ... More
Dad and Sean Lemass, Dublin, Ireland
Sean Lemass being carried shoulder high by a group of smiling men with one, very happy looking, lady in attendance. Lemass was one of the few Irish political figures of the 1916 to 1922 era to survive to old a... More
Boxes, shovels and corner boys!
This is a cracker of a shot from the Stereo Pairs Collection with terrific detail and all kinds of jewels in the form of merchandise outside the doors of the shops. Where is English Street and where did Peter ... More
Sail and steam in harbour - stereoscopic view, public domain photorpap...
Returning to matters maritime once more we have a very busy harbour scene with steam and sailing ships berthed beside quays somewhere. In the background can be seen many stacks denoting industry and in the for... More
The street where you live... - stereoscopic view, public domain photor...
Starting the week with a Stereo Pairs image of a terrace of houses on a broad street many of them decorated with elaborate wrought (cast) iron balconies. I wonder where it is and if it appears on Streetview to... More
Smoky hills in Leenane, Galway, Ireland
To start the week this shot is from the Hargrave Collection. A beautiful scene with a house on the curve of the coast, beneath rolling hills and with smoke rising invitingly from a chimney as the residents ris... More
Somewhere in the West - stereoscopic view, public domain photorpaph
I know this scene, it is like the Delphi Fishery but I do not think it is, T. C. Kingsmill Moore, would know precisely. It is definitely associated with a fishery in the West of Ireland. We have the scotch pine... More
Tams and a Fez perambulating with a perambulator! (Rhyl in Wales)
To end the week we have yet another example of a Clarke street shot. This kind of candid photograph is much practiced and has many followers. Given the equipment Clarke had available at the time however, these... More
"Institutional style building in an unknown location" is a convent in ...
We continue with Mr Fergus O'Connor today. I notice that there is a little photoshopping going on, see mid-right of the photo via Megazoom (TM). The lad sitting on the wall immediately reminded me of Dennis th... More
Mmmmm "Courtown Hotel"? I don't think so! (it's St Michael's Church, ...
In recent years I have seen church buildings converted to many other uses, warehouses, restaurants, public houses and even private residences. However I doubt that when this photograph was taken that this was ... More
Castle on the hay covered hill
This beautifully restored(?) castle set in a field of early cut hay is this offering from the Stereo Pairs Collection. When you think how old these images are the quality and clarity is just remarkable. Where... More
NOT a "Gothic revival/restoration stone church, square castellated tow...
While this is NOT the exterior of a Gothic revival/restoration stone church it just may be the interior of just such a church. This appears to be one of a number of images of the same church in the archive. T... More
"Church with square tower of rubble masonry" is the original St Finbar...
A visit to the Stereo Pairs Collection today and to a country church(?) with "square tower of rubble masonry". The shot has been reduced to a single image for ease of viewing on Flickr. In the past we have bee... More
Father and son at Inniscara, Cork, Ireland
A proud father and son on a day out in 1958 at Inniscara, County Cork. O'Dea documented the destruction, or to use a much used word these days, the 'deconstruction' of Ireland's railway system. It went from a... More
The train from Ballaghadereen may be a little late?
It has been a while since we visited Mr. O'Dea's collection and this shot, titled: "Ballaghdereen train & crew, Kilfree Junction, Co. Sligo." with the cabin crew standing on the deck of old 655 was taken at Kil... More
Milady is the height of fashion!
The title on this Clonbrock image is "Spring 1918. Woman standing in parkland, wearing hat and button through coat." The dress style is so outdated and material looks like winter weight cloth for the chills of... More
Regulars and irregulars on opposite sides(?)
The original title on this Hogan image taken apparently during the Irish Civil War is "Soldiers and locals gathered in a rural village"! Interestingly the soldiers on the left are in full uniform whereas the a... More
God and Empire over all! - Public domain vintage map
It is a while since we visited the Clonbrock collection but today we have a beautiful scene at a market with full and plenty on display. People with goods to sell look well dressed and happy , their produce lo... More
Dolman with support stones instrinsic to structure
To the Mason Collection today and a megalithic tomb somewhere or other. Our cataloguer in the library is somewhat in error in his/her spelling - as a 'dolman' this is not! As far as I know (AFAIK in modern pa... More
"People by a weir in an unknown location : with houses visible in the ...
To end the week (the week in which the "Beast from the East" clashed with storm "Emma" to bring the island of Ireland to a full stop) we have a charming photograph from Fergus O'Connor. A weir or waterfall, on... More
"View of parkland in an unknown location : hills and woodland visible ...
The cataloguer may not have had the benefit of super zoomability as we do, and so perhaps did not highlight the castle nestling among the trees. At first viewing I thought that this might confound us, but that... More
Day of the Black Dog - at Church Bay, Cork
A scene more reminiscent of what were then the colonies than what we might expect of Ireland. A house with lots of lean-to shades, and people sitting out taking the sun, while others comport themselves in the ... More
Arthur Henri Poole - Church Organ somewhere or other?
A fine church organ in a beautifully decorated church somewhere from the Poole Collection for today! While the carved wooden panels on the walls might indicate the sideways facing choir seats of a reformed ch... More
The Donegal oilfield?, Donegal, Ireland
Day 5 of Tynan Week .This, the final Tynan image of the week shows an industrial scene with a rickety bridge, a pile driver on the water and Nissen huts in the background. Clearly showing what was then a signi... More
Dev and the Rev!. Northern Ireland
Day 4 of Tynan week ..A really interesting shot from todays Tynan image the significance of which the NLI cataloguer appears to have missed, probably due to her youth? Eamon deValera in conversation with a cle... More
Unidentified town on a tidal river but in Donegal
Day 2 of Tynan Week .This is day 2 of the first week using the photographs of Denis Tynan. Tynan, who ran a successful photographic business in Donegal for many years, has left many images of the county. These... More
"Unidentified church, Co. Donegal" is in Dungloe
New Arrivals Klaxon .At the weekend we promised you something new - and here it is. Introducing the "Denis Tynan" collection of photographs! Taken on plastic negatives and featuring places and people in the 19... More
A fine collection of ivy? (on 'St. Columb's House')
The title for this Stereo Pairs image goes "Celtic Oratory - very overgrown" which is somewhat of an understatement! Looking at the door and the stonework I would not have recognised it as a Celtic church buil... More
Art O Briain - Public domain photogrpaph
An Irish Political Figure I never heard of is the subject of today\s image! Art O'Briain was conveniently identified for us by the cataloguer who states that he is accompanied by a member of the British army w... More
Robert French - A very rare visit to County Longford
This is a rare visit to the county of Longford and the pity is that it shows two institutional buildings rather than the many fine sights there! The Convent of Mercy beside the Union building on a rise must ha... More
No place like home!. Northern Ireland
The original title for this stereo pairs shot is "Institutional building, open University, wings 3 bays wide, 4 deep, main obelisk 3 a side 3 to central portion, cart foreground" and I suspect that it won't las... More
Beauty on the double - stereoscopic view, public domain photorpaph
Good morning and a happy Monday to you all! I have a sense of deja vu all over again on this shot - though the one I am imagining is a Lawrence photo rather than this magnificent Stereo Pairs image. The scene ... More
Small church with square battlemented tower in graveyard, showing grav...
With a catalogue heading such as that above, identifying this church should perhaps be a doddle(?) On the morning of the winter solstice, the true new year perhaps, we can look forward to longer days, brighter... More
Robert French - What are they all looking at?
Labelled "Castle, Throne Room, Dublin" in the catalogue, no throne room ever looked so airy and informal. But then, of course, this is not Dublin Castle's Throne Room! Instead, a market/fair is in progress so... More
Robert French - Down by the Sea
The title in our catalogue is "Castle, Throne Room, Dublin City, Co. Dublin", which is obviously incorrect. I am not even sure that this is a Lawrence shot, at lease not a typical Lawrence shot. I will list it ... More
And a river runs through it (Dodder, Dublin)
A really fine O'Connor shot today with lots of interesting buildings and man-made constructions on view. A river neatly bisects the scene with a couple giving probably one of the few clues on the potential dat... More
Hatters Castle in the trees! - stereoscopic view, public domain photor...
The original title of this Stereo Pairs image is "Long shot over trees, mountain in background, Co. Wicklow" and it is a long shot and a glimpse rather than a full view of a castellated house. No doubt if the ... More
"Long shot, rocky fields, hills slated cottages spare trees" is Lough ...
For a change we have an image from the Stereo Pairs Collection today with a rocky road surrounded by rocky fields and rocky walls in various states of repair. There is no indication where this might be though ... More
Let's have a bit of fun.... in Navan
For most recent photographs, with the exception of the DeValera image, we knew where if not the when or the who but today I believe we have a conundrum of sorts. The catalogue title on this says "View of House... More
Your Help Needed during World War I
"Dev. Anti-Conscription Rally, 1918"?..One of our researchers is considering using this photo in an upcoming exhibition, and has asked if the group here could let her know everything that there is to know about... More
Robert French - General View, Dalkey, Co. Dublin
A Monday morning with a view! Dalkey from the heights was a small village at that time, scattered and with a great sea view. At first I thought those rocks in the foreground were fence height but looking at t... More
"Quays, Derry City, Co Derry" is actually Derrylin, Co Fermanagh
Confusion reigns, the Quays in Derry have changed direction, instead of running along the river Foyle it appears that they now run out into Lough Erne? Or perhaps the cataloguer is in error on this shot or eve... More
Mote, family 1914. Group of women and children standing in line, two w...
While I know I'd half-promised an additional O'Dea shot this morning, I came across this delightful (family?) shot from the Clonbrock collection last night. And couldn't help myself. The kids' clothes are so cl... More
"Possibly Crystal Palace" is hall of Irish International Exhibition 19...
The day after Galway win the All Ireland, it seems appropriate that we should at least view an image from the Galway-based photographers of the Clonbrock Collection This amazing shot may be the Crystal Palace ... More
Miss Furey behind the bar, Moyvalley, Co. Kildare
A visit to the delightful bar of Miss Furey in Moyvalley and to the O'Dea Collection today! It looks like a welcoming house and that James was a welcome guest...As well as confirming the mapping location, Beac... More
"Group of women activists holding protest posters and an American flag...
Good morning all! Continuing the Irish Political Figures images, today we have women carrying placards at some unknown location in protest at the "reign of terror" in Ireland. Not a dog in sight and wet enoug... More
Mrs. Mac Swiney is welcomed to U.S.
Mrs. MacSwiney, widow of the late Terence MacSwiney on a visit to the United States would appear to have attracted quite a crowd. There are plenty of uniforms in evidence, lots of people, lots of taxis but fin... More
Robert French - Peelers and Bailiffs at Somers Fort
An eviction or rather a destruction at Somers Fort, Coolroe. When I first saw the title I thought of a military fort in the fastnesses of Donegal but looking at the construction of this substantial farmhouse a... More
"Modern Gothic church or institutional / ecclesiastical building much ...
A Gothic masterpiece to end July and welcome August! This looks very institutional today but may have been the height of architectural fashion in its day? Where is it and who built it?..Derangedlemur ( /photo... More
"River, single arch bridge in foreground, small modern church, adjoini...
I just love putting up these images from the Stereo Pairs Collection! There is something other worldly about them, a really distinctive view into the past and in stereo to boot! This image with its long and c... More
"Church, Interior, Arklow, Co. Wicklow" is in Arklow, but definitely e...
This wonderful church interior, the stained glass, the pews, the... Oh! I must have been on the sauce last night without knowing it! This is clearly a beautiful mansion somewhere but where and is it still the... More
"Downing Street? Treaty Negotiations?" is at least half-wrong
We are staying with the Irish Political Figures Photographic Collection today and for the rest of this week. The title from our catalogue is extremely vague to say the least, and the underlying description "Uni... More
The O'Neill's burial place. Northern Ireland
Following two unidentified images from the Stereo Pairs, we go to a Mason image of a sylvan scenic sepulchre for one of Irelands great families. The O'Neill it says, but which "The O'Neill"? Where is it, and ... More
"Unidentified castle on seashore" is Blackrock Castle
This somehow familiar (yet so far unidentified) castle on the shore of the sea or an estuary is todays fare. I know I've seen it before, and have an idea where it might be, but I would be guessing. Whereas it ... More
"Unidentified photograph from the Stereo-pair collection" is Theatre R...
This fine, multi storey, building with a Royal coat of arms on the pediment should be readily identifiable - yet it remains labelled as unidentified in the NLI archives. Now is the chance to begin the week on ... More
"Streetscape: photograph: trams, people, loc?" is Glasgow
An interesting locationless selection from the Mason photographic collection for you to ponder. I am going to give you a little tip just to get things moving and I say this with a lot of confidence - this is no... More
"Unidentified Photograph from the Joshua H. Hargrave Collection" is Br...
Here we go again with a third "unidentified" photo this week. Not as difficult as Monday and perhaps a little less difficult than yesterday. You all continue to amaze me how you get to the bottom of these photo... More
"Unidentified Photograph from the Fergus O'Connor Collection" is the S...
We have another unidentified photo today, this time from the Fergus O'Connor collection. I feel confident that we will do better today than we did yesterday, as I have a feeling that I may have seen this buildi... More
"Unidentified Photograph from the Tilbrook Collection" is Drumgoff Bar...
I know you all like when we have an "unidentified" photo for you to muse over, I strongly suspect you will be musing over this one for quite a while! It is nice to see a little colour on the stream for a change... More
"Unidentified building in unknown location" is St Mary's Hospital, Pho...
Nothing as exciting as Beagle Balls, collapsing prison walls and daring rescues today! We have a large institutional building photographed by the Wiltshires in the middle of the last century. It looks like a... More
"Large public building, railings, steps, 6 columns in portico, 2 guns ...
Another stereo pair image in single format for better viewing! This fine building defended by two unworkable cannon on high plinths looks very impressive and imposing whereever it may be. A nice way to end th... More
"Church ruins with pointed arches" is Kildare Cathedral
"Church ruins with pointed arches and 3 light window adjoining maintained, or possibly modern, square tower, glazed windows"..When is a Stereo Pair not a Stereo Pair? When someone cuts it in two and shows it a... More
Another day, another 'institution', Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow.
A fairly typical manor house in rural Ireland is described as being "another Institution" in these archives! Given the way these things went when families were unable to pay for the upkeep of these houses and ... More
Georgian house, Dublin - Public domain historic place drawing
To continue this "Wiltshire Week" we have this image of a house with a long garden and a straight footpath leading to the door. I always loved these Georgian doors, with the fancy fanlight above to draw light ... More