Boy dancing, St. Colmcille’s Well, Woodtown, Dublin, 1980, from the series Holy Pictures
Tony Murray
Tony Murray, Boy dancing, St. Colmcille’s Well, Woodtown, Dublin, 1980, from the series Holy Pictures
About the Artist:
Tony Murray is a Fine Art graduate from the National College of Art and Design and a lecturer in Media Production and Photography at the Technological University of Dublin. The first photographer to receive an Arts Council bursary in 1978, he was one of a small group of young photographers who documented social and religious events in Ireland in the 1980s and 90s. He has exhibited widely in Ireland, England and France and his work has been published in many books and magazines. Murray’s book Holy Pictures captures the last vestiges of popular devotional practices once widespread in Ireland. These vivid images from the late 1970s and early 1980s are a compelling record of an aspect of Irish life that has largely disappeared. By turns poignant and surreal, the photographs depict pilgrims, devotees and true believers against the backdrop of a changing Ireland.
Details: Archival pigment inkjet print on Hahnemühle Photo Baryta, 42x59.4cm (paper size), uneditioned print, produced 2021, acquired for the National Photography Collection 2022.
Holy Pictures by Tony Murray
About the book
Holy Pictures captures the last vestiges of popular devotional practices once widespread in Ireland. Tony Murray’s vivid images from the late 1970s and early 1980s are a compelling record of an aspect of Irish life that has largely disappeared. By turns poignant and surreal, the photographs depict pilgrims, devotees and true believers against the backdrop of a changing Ireland. An introduction by historian Daithí Ó Corráin and interview by photo historian Orla Fitzpatrick place these important images in context.
About the National Photography Collection:
The National Photography Collection builds on the Gallery’s sustained commitment to supporting artists in the development and promotion of their work. Through collaboration, we hope to grow the collection as an archive repository offering an overview of photographic practice in Ireland.
As an essential critical and historical resource, the National Photography Collection is an exciting initiative for the Gallery and for the future of Irish photography. We are deeply honoured that the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins has agreed to be Patron of the Collection.
The artists featured in the Collection are:
Ciarán Óg Arnold; Enda Bowe; Noel Bowler; Ala Buisir; Simon Burch; Dorje de Burgh; Krass Clement; Shia Conlon; Martin Cregg; Mark Curran; Ciaran Dunbar; John Duncan; Tessy Ehiguese; David Farrell; Kevin Fox; Paul Gaffney; Clare Gallagher; Emer Gillespie; Karl Grimes; Anthony Haughey; Seán Hillen; Patrick Hogan; Tobi Isaac-Irein; Dragana Jurišić; Jamin Keogh; Jialin Long; Markéta Luskačová; Shane Lynam; Alen MacWeeney; Dara McGrath; Moira McIver; Yvette Monahan; Tony Murray; Brian Newman; Kate Nolan; Miriam O'Connor; Kenneth O'Halloran; Mandy O'Neill; Tony O'Shea; Pete Smyth; Nigel Swann; Harry Thuillier Jr; George Voronov and Róisín White.