The Photo Album of the Irish
New Edition:

We are delighted to announce
The Photo Album of the Irish: Canada
will commence in Toronto in February 2020.

The Photo Album of Ireland is a digital archiving 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 collect these photographs we are also archiving 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 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 the Gallery of Photography have been touring Ireland and the US . an edited selection of the family album photographs contributed by Irish/American families are featured in the first publication from the project: the Photo Album of the Irish: U.S. book which focuses on the rich cultural connections between Ireland and the United States. 

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

Photo Album of the Irish - Your Photos, Your Memories, Our History.

The Photo Album of the Irish

Your Photos, Your Memories, Our History

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

Our team at the Gallery of Photography have been touring Ireland and the US collecting and scanning family photographs taken as early as the 1850s 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 collect these photographs we are also archiving 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 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. Soon we will be publishing a Photo Album of the Irish book that will focus on the rich cultural connections between Ireland and the United States.

Your Photos, Your Memories, Our History.

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 categorized 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'.