LIMERICK City Museum and Archives (LCMA) is to host a major photographic exhibition featuring rare images of South East Clare and Limerick City, dating back to the early 20th century.
“The Street” exhibition, comprising of photographs from The Haselbeck Collection, will be launched at Limerick City Hall on Monday, January 13 by Mayor of Limerick Kathleen Leddin and Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan.
Franz S. Haselbeck worked as a professional photographer in the Mid-West from 1912 until his death in 1973. He cycled all over Limerick City and throughout South East Clare to photograph the important events of his time, including the War of Independence and major construction projects, as well as everyday events.
Today, The Haselbeck Collection is regarded as one of the most important collections of 20th century Ireland.
Some of the earliest photographs featured in the exhibition relate to the Irish Volunteers and the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1913 and 1914 at a time when the world was heading towards war and Ireland was striving for Home Rule.
Following the War of Independence and The Irish Civil War, both of which are documented in the collection, there came major building projects and industrial Limerick. The exhibition features photographs of the massive concrete silos of Ranks Flour Mill, the huge scale of the Shannon Scheme at Ardnacrusha, Mungret Cement Factory and Irish Wire on the Dock Road.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.