The Photo Album of the Irish

Your Photos, Your Memories, Our History

We are delighted to be working on our new project, The Photo Album of the Irish: Canada.

The Photo Album of Ireland is a digital archive project that celebrates the ordinary and extraordinary histories of people with Irish heritage reflected in their family photo albums. We are collecting and scanning family photographs taken as early as the 1850’s to the 1990s. These personal memories reveal the details of how people lived, worked, what they wore, how they celebrated special occasions and generally what everyday life was like for Irish people and Irish diaspora throughout history. The project explores the ways in which photography takes note of larger changes in society, as private family histories are often ruptured by key events in history.

As we collected these photographs we also archived the stories and memories associated with the people in the images, as told by our contributors. This allows us to preserve the legacy of Irish people and the Irish diaspora around the globe and share their stories with the rest of the world. The aim of this project is to create a digital archive of Irish heritage that will become an ongoing collection to which future generations can contribute.

In 2019 our team at Gallery of Photography Ireland visited the U.S. to work with individuals and partner organisations scanning family photographs from the 1850s up to more contemporary times. An edited selection of the family album photographs contributed by Irish-American families is featured in the first publication from the project, The Photo Album of the Irish: U.S., which focuses on the rich cultural connections between Ireland and the United States. Currently we are working on the lasted phase of the Photo Album project, concentrating on the Irish diaspora in Canada. We will be announcing a new publication featuring this material. We will also be updating our website with an extensive selection of new Canadian images.

Supported by the Emigrant Support Programme/Global Irish Fund, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Government of Ireland

The Photo Album of the Irish: U.S.

Your Photos, Your Memories, Our History

The Photo Album of Ireland is a digital archive project that celebrates the ordinary and extraordinary histories of people with Irish heritage reflected in their family photo albums.

In 2019 our team at Gallery of Photography Ireland visited the U.S. to work with individuals and partner organisations scanning family photographs from the 1850s up to more contemporary times. These personal memories reveal the details of how people lived, worked, what they wore, how they celebrated special occasions and generally what everyday life was like for Irish people and Irish diaspora throughout history. The project explores the ways in which photography takes note of larger changes in society, as private family histories are often ruptured by key events in history.

As we collected these photographs we also archived the stories and memories associated with the people in the images, as told by our contributors. This allows us to preserve the legacy of Irish people and the Irish diaspora around the globe and share their stories with the rest of the world.

The aim of this project is to create a digital archive of Irish heritage that will become an ongoing collection to which future generations can contribute. In 2019 we were delighted to release our very first publication from the wider project. The Photo Album of the Irish: U.S. Edition focuses on the rich cultural connections between Ireland and the United States. An even more extensive selection of U.S. images from the project can be viewed here on our site.

How to Use the Site

If you are from the USA, feel free to navigate through the US version of the site and browse photo albums categorised by family names under the 'Albums' heading. The US site will only show albums and essays relevant to Irish American families and Irish diaspora.

If you would like to see all albums (Irish and US families) switch over to the general site by clicking 'show all albums'.

The Photo Album of the Irish: Canada

Your Photos, Your Memories, Our History

Coming Soon!

The Photo Album of Ireland is a digital archive project that celebrates the ordinary and extraordinary histories of people with Irish heritage reflected in their family photo albums.

The team from Gallery of Photography Ireland visited Canada in 2020 and since then have been working with individuals and partner organisations: the Embassy of Ireland Ottawa, The Consulate of Ireland, Vancouver, The Irish Canadian Immigration Centre, The Irish WOmen's Network of Canada, B.C. and The Canada IrelandFoundation to digitally archive family photographs from the 1850s up to more contemporary times. These personal memories reveal the details of how people lived, worked, and celebrated special occasions - creating a unique visual record of diverse experiences of the Irish diaspora throughout history. The project explores the ways in which photography takes note of larger changes in society, as private family histories are often ruptured by key events in history.

As we collected these photographs we also archived the stories and memories associated with the people in the images, as told by our contributors. This allows us to preserve the legacy of Irish people and the Irish diaspora around the globe and share their stories with the rest of the world.

The aim of this project is to create a digital archive of Irish heritage that will become an ongoing collection to which future generations can contribute. Following on from the success of our Photo Album of the Irish U.S. Edition book in 2019 we have produced a Photo Album of the Irish: Canada edition.

Project Launch:
The Photo Album of the Irish: Canada project will be launched in autumn 2021 with a series of book launches and touring exhibitions. We are also working to redesign and upgrade this website to improve functionality and viewer experience.

How to Use the Site

If you are from the USA, feel free to navigate through the US version of the site and browse photo albums categorised by family names under the 'Albums' heading. The US site will only show albums and essays relevant to Irish American families and Irish diaspora.

If you would like to see all albums (Irish and US families) switch over to the general site by clicking 'show all albums'.