Disappearing Crafts and Culture

Ray Flynn retired from the Department of Visual Communication in NCAD this year. Last weekend I visited a small exhibition of his photographic work in Colman Doyle's, Wexford town. Over the last 30 years Ray has travelled all over Ireland, capturing images of traditional Irish crafts and craftspeople. This collection of black and white images - silver gelatine prints developed at home by the man himself - was on show as part of this year's Wexford Opera Fringe Festival.


Detail from 'The Village Postman', taken in Co Wexford, 1972.



The prints are a small selection taken from a wider collection Ray will publish as a book in the near future.

"These images are made up of studies of craftspeople in Ireland working in their own environment. They are sure to remind some viewers of how things were done, by hand, before the Industrial Changes, Celtic Tiger and Digital Revolution, forming a visual trip down memory lane. The exhibition should be of educational value for younger viewers who may never have the opportunity to see many of these traditional crafts in real life. The same could be said of the fine examples of Irish culture, which make up the second element of this exhibition."