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One of my goals as a Documentary
Photographer is to pass on my skills as a photographer to
community groups in rural Ireland to ensure that their lives,
events and the people who are special to them are documented,
exhibited, published in book format and archived in our
National Libraries for future generations. The following
publications have all been created as a result of community
groups wishing to ensure that there is a lasting record of
their home place. If you are interested in finding out more
about these publications, the community groups and the projects
you can email me on info@eileenoleary.com.
 Kilgarvin Moments & Memories
2011
444 pages, full colour, hard cover
To record the ‘Moments & Memories’ of Kilgarvan and its citizens is to shine a new light into the lives of yesterday and yester year. Using over six hundred cherished family photographs, one hundred and twenty six articles and interviews documenting family history, this 444 page full colour hard back book provides a wealth of information about the working lives and social activities of ordinary country people long settled in the tranquil Roughty Valley, County Kerry.
 Bridging Memories - Sneem, County Kerry
2010
444 pages, full colour, hard cover
Foreword written by Mary Robinson, former
President of Ireland
Located on the famed ‘Ring of Kerry’, the village
and Parish of Sneem can justifiably claim to be unique. This
Social History of Sneem has been compiled by both locals and
friends of Sneem; its 140 plus articles refer to the major
milestones in the history of the parish from pre-famine times
right up to the modern day. The book has over 200 photographs
that give an insight into the era of the Big Houses and their
landlords, many local characters, tradesmen and local heroes
such as Steve Casey who was crowned World Heavy Weight Champion
in 1938. For many contributors living in other countries around
the world Sneem is indeed ‘The Centre of the
Universe’.
 The Essence
of Sneem
2009
216 pages, full colour, hard cover
'The Essence of Sneem’ documents the
village known as, ‘the knot in the ring’, which
joins two halves of one of the most scenic drives in Ireland,
the Ring of Kerry.
Sneem is home to the people who are
portrayed in this book. The farmer looking after his cattle as
his family has done for generations, the young football fan,
the fisherman, the traditional blacksmith bringing his skills
back to the village and the local musician are just a few of
the people who represent the community that makes up The
Essence of Sneem.
The photographs were taken by
members of the community, the people who best know and love
Sneem and its beautiful setting, and the foreword was written
by Batt O’Keeffe.
 Changing Times
2009
396 pages, full colour, hard cover
'Changing Times' documents the passage of
time in the areas of Blackwater and Templenoe in County Kerry,
Ireland. This full colour hard bound book is 396 pages with
over 150 photographs from local family archives and charts the
history of the area from famine times to the present day.
Stories and recollections, interviews, songs, poetry,
archaeological sites, critical analysis together with the
history of the GAA in the area and the people who have made it
such a unique place; foreword written by Gerard Lyne, Keeper of
Manuscripts in the National Library, Dublin.
 Adrigole…..The Jewel on the Ring
2007
180 pages, full colour, soft cover
Members of the Adrigole Women’s
Group have produced a book of social history to ensure that the
special stories and history of the people in the parish of
Adrigole in south west Cork will not be lost. The group have
succeeded in archiving, with integrity, a changing rural
community and have produced what will be a much valued document
for future generations. The book has brought together writers,
photographers and a very gifted artist; the result of which is
a unique book that truly captures the spirit of Adrigole,
‘The Jewel on the Ring’.
 Aistear
Méanscoil na Toirbhirte
2007
64 pages, full colour, soft cover
This 60 page full colour publication
celebrates eighty two years of inspired education at Meánscoil
na Toirbhirte, a secondary school for girls in the heart of
Dingle town. The ethos of the school and the people who built
its outstanding reputation is testament to the success of those
who have been fortunate to attend the school and be part of the
visionary culture. The book is accompanied by a thirty minute
DVD that shows the everyday life of the school, activities
taking place, and interviews with staff and students.
 Framed in
Time…..The Sheep’s Head Peninsula
Sheep’s Head Photography Group
2006
216 pages, full colour, soft cover
‘Dear Reader, please take the time
to look through this book of photographs of the lovely
Sheep’s Head Peninsula in West Cork. These pictures were
taken by the locals of the area and give us a glimpse of their
daily lives, surrounded by water, in one of the most beautiful
locations on this island of Ireland.’
John Spillane, Singer, Song Writer
 Draíocht Mhúscraí…Portrait of a Cork
Gaeltacht
Muskerry Photographic Group
2005
216 pages, full colour, soft cover
‘An enduring photographic record
created from within the community, it reveals the landscape and
the daily and seasonal preoccupations of this beautiful corner
of West Cork. It conveys layers of meaning with extraordinary
clarity in a realm where words can merely adumbrate, being too
self conscious and capable of living only outside the instant
of an image’s and creation. These photographs are
windows into our lives and those around us; the atmosphere of
special gatherings, the telling of familiar faces, the objects
and rituals that punctuate our conversations, flashes of
remembering and spaces where the land yields to pilgrimage and
peaceful sanctuary.
Iarla Ó Lionáird, Composer & Singer
 Set in
Time…..Blackwater & Templenoe
Blackwater Women’s Group
2005
216 pages, full colour, soft cover
‘I feel privileged to have been born
and raised in what I consider to be one of the world’s
most beautiful places, Templenoe, on the ring of Kerry. Its
rich mixture of beautiful coastline and rugged green hills are
a joy, not only to those fortunate enough to live here, but
also to the droves of visitors who come to our shores each
year. Not alone beautiful to look at, it is enriched by a warm
community spirit, which is evident to all.’
Tom Spillane, Sportsman
 Our
Home….Our Future
Kerry Diocesan Youth Service
2005
20 pages, full colour, soft covers
‘This project has made a difference
to the lives of these young people by providing them with a
means to communicate through the arts, in a way that is both
visual and verbal. The learning process has enabled the young
people to further explore the world around them, to inspire
them and others in the community. The project has given
confidence to the group and the book is truly their world, seen
through their eyes; it is unique and original.’
Martin Riordan, County Manager, Kerry County Council
 A
Place Apart...West Cork
Produced by the Bantry Active Retirement Association
2005
56 pages, full colour, soft cover
‘You lose yourself in West Cork, an ancient place,
remote and lovely with the untamed beauty of when the world was
young. You wander in another time around the little wave-laced
coves, across the furze and flower-strewn hillsides, into the
deep mist-filled glens and out to the remote rock-bound
headlands, lost in the loveliness and wishing for nothing more
the live-long day until, as you watch and wait in some
delightful place, the sun goes down over the rim of the world.
And in the twilight, the beauty of West Cork enthrals you
still.’
 Friendly Faces………Beautiful
Places
St. Colum’s Women’s Group
2004
Full colour, 216 page soft cover
‘The beauty of our natural
environment comes across vividly in these photographs. The
sacred bond between the farmer, the dog, the livestock and the
land is very apparent. But most memorable of all are the faces
– the dear familiar faces of family, friends and neighbours
caught for an instant in time and now have a timeless lyrical
tenderness on the page. The community owes a debt of gratitude
to everybody involved in the creation of this loving portrayal
of the small place we call home. As well as an important social
document of the way we are, this collection of photographs
will, for many of us, be a treasured personal
record.’
 A
Journey Through Tuosist
The Tuosist Community Group
2004
Full colour, 216 page soft cover
‘This publication is a worthy
addition to the fine library of Tuosist literature and archive
in the Irish Folklore Commission. The community living along
the 23 mile coastal stretch between Bear’s Caha
Mountains and Kenmare Bay are heirs to a rich seam of heritage.
The photographers were true to the old Kerry proverb
‘when you are faithful to your own people and birthplace
you will flourish as a person.’
 BONANE…..its people and the places that we
call home!
The Bonane Women’s Group
2003
Full colour, 216 page hard cover
Bonane is a little parish which nestles in
the Caha Mountains between Kenmare and Glengarriff. Although
Bonane has only 230 inhabitants, there is a wonderful sense of
community and pride in the local area, its history and
heritage. In 2003, forty of the women in Bonane took out their
cameras and the result is a unique book that documents the life
of a close-knit community in County Kerry.
 Picture the Time – Rural
Life in Ireland
Kilflynn Millennium Documentary Photography Project
2000
Black & White, 154 pages hard cover & soft cover
editions
‘When you open this book you will be
taken into the daily lives of people who live and work in a
rural landscape. You will see a visual calendar of events, some
of which will never happen again. You will remember when you
were behind a school desk and feel the passage of time. The
images describe our culture and the feeling that we have for;
family, landscape, music, ritual and sport. You will meet
through these images people that you would like to know better;
these photographs will make you ask questions about your own
memories and examine what is important to you.’
The following calendars have all been
produced as a result of Documentary Photography Projects with
Youth & Community Groups.
Roaming Round 2012
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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The Beauty of Bantry 2011
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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Bantry Home & Away 2010
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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The Shores of Bantry Bay 2009
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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Round and About Bantry 2008
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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The Face of Lesotho 2008
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Bantry & Beyond 2007
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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Beautiful Bantry 2006
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co. Cork
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Féilire an Leithtrúigh 2006
Cloghane Photographic Group
Co. Kerry
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A Celebration of Limerick – 2005
Paul Partnership Five Community Groups Project
Limerick
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Féilire an Leithtrúigh 2005
Claghane Photographic Group
Co. Kerry
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A Sense of Place’ 2005
Bantry Active Retirement Association
Co.Cork
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Killarney 2004
Muckross Community Association
Killarney, Co. Kerry
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Limerick 2003
Corpus Christi Youth Group
Moyross, Co. Limerick
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