Island’s maritime exhibition back on display after 10 years

A MARITIME exhibition that was almost destroyed by Storm Christine, and then languished in storage for many years, was recently dusted off, restored, and reopened to the public on Cape Clear Island.

Pat Con O’Driscoll’s collection of historic photographs, as well as the stories of islanders and seafarers who had travelled to all parts of the world, had been a main attraction at the island’s North Harbour.

That was until superstorm Christine arrived on the night of January 6th, 2014 and tore into the exhibition space called Ionad Mara Chléire, known as the Cape Clear Maritime Centre, and almost scattered its contents to the winds.

Although many of the images collected by Pat Con O’Driscoll from locals and their far flung relatives, are old, grainy, and in black and white, the photographs tell stories better than words ever could.

The images were rescued from the elements and put into storage for eight years until Tógraí Chléire, a local group that undertakes projects of heritage value, resolved to renovate the pictures and articles.

The group began their work in late 2022 and today the historic images are on display once again – this time at Cotter’s Parlour.

Islander Mary O’Driscoll told The Southern Star that Pat Con O’Driscoll was born and bred on Cape Clear and was a member of a progressive fishing family that pioneered a modern fishing fleet during the 1970s and 1980s.

Along with his brothers, Pat fished both locally and abroad on board their fishing vessels Green Eagle, Crimson Dawn, Northern Dawn, Golden Dawn, and Resplendent. His uncles and cousins emigrated from Cape Clear to America in the early to mid-1900s, where they excelled in seamanship and maritime ability. They encouraged other men from the island, who were renowned for their maritime skills, to join their vessels and work in America. 

Their story, and the stories of other families, are told in photographic form as part of the 300 exhibits in the collection. Today, the collection serves as a valuable repository, thanks to the efforts of Pat Con who had the vision to preserve the island’s history in this format.

As well as rescuing and reframing the pictures, Tógraí Chléire scanned and documented the histories. The group also made audio descriptions of the images.

They even took an oral history from Pat and committed it to writing. The next part of the project will see the group edit Pat Con’s oral history and make it part of the collection.

The exhibition is currently on display in Cotter’s, but the community is hoping to secure a more permanent home for it.

Part of the collection is also due to go on display in Schull Library. Anyone with marine or fishing photographs related to Cape Clear, or articles, can contact Tógraí Chléire via their email address: [email protected]