Dark Ireland

Richard Fitzgerald is one of Ireland's outstanding photographers; his carefully composed photographs are a beautiful portrayal of a way of life that has almost vanished forever. His haunting images of rural scenes form a narrative thread with the not-so-distant past. His camera focuses on the back roads of the countryside and records intimate moments of people in their cottages and farms. Nuns, rosary nights, confessions, coffins, and currachs are captured along with horse-fairs and peat harvesting. The dimly lit rooms of Ireland prior to the arrival of electricity are eloquently remembered in his first hand account of his childhood years. His early experiences observing light and shadow illuminated by candlelight and oil lamps are poignantly recalled in exquisite detail. The result is a unique album that is both compelling and graceful; a fond tribute to an earthier time and place.