‘Declan Doherty’s Donegal’ exhibition opens in the Regional Cultural Centre.
By Paddy Walsh
CLOSE to a century has passed since a young cleric purchased some camera equipment and went on to record an extensive pictorial record of life and lives in his native Donegal over the subsequent decades.
It was a craft and a passion that filtered down to Canon Tommy Doherty’s nephew, whose work is featured in a remarkable exhibition currently on display at the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny.
Here is history on the walls of the main gallery – a history captured by well known photographer, Declan Doherty, who spent his working life in the darkrooms and digital advances of the Donegal News, once better known as the Derry People.
And in that time he has snapped up to 100,000 pictures only a volume of which have made it to the R.C.C. exhibition but what a volume. Addressing the launch in front of a huge attendance, Declan related how he been chatting with his cousin, Tommy Francis, who referred to Canon Doherty’s period as a priest in Scotland where, in 1927, he bought his first camera.
“So that gives us 99, close to a hundred years of image making between the two of us.”
Donegal supporters at the All Ireland football final against Dublin in 1992.
Praising Shaun Hannigan for curating the exhibition, M.C. Jeremy Howard described it as “overwhelming” with so many amazing images of the county. “It’s like a visual memory of Donegal.
“Declan approaches all with such empathy, humour and a deep respect. He captured people, places, good days, bad days, extraordinary days.”
Pointing out that there were over 100,000 photographs to choose from, the curator said Declan had spent 45 years covering events as the Donegal News press photographer while also undertaking projects for the Regional Cultural Centre and the old Letterkenny Arts Centre.
“He sees himself as a photographer rather than an artist but I always viewed him as one of the best artists in the county.”
Reflecting on the gallery of photographs, Shaun poignantly stated that many of the people featured had passed away – the exhibition, he added, was dedicated to all of them.” In particular he mentioned a very old friend of the R.C.C., Gary Gomringer who died last year.
Donegal News editor, Diarmaid Doherty recalled Shaun and Declan regularly visiting the newspaper’s offices around two years ago to select the photographs from the archives.
The late Jim McCormick watching a Letterkenny Folk Festival parade back in 1993.
“To say that it was two years in the making would be just so wrong to say that because this is 45 years of a wonderful career. It offers a window to the past. It offers a chance to realise how Declan has been there to cover moments of history here in Donegal.”
They could view those moments of history on the walls around them, moments of celebration and of sadness. “News stories still had to be covered and Declan was very much part of all that as well.”
Added Diarmaid: “This exhibition is a celebration of a quite wonderful career that Declan has had.” And not just photos published in the local media but in the national press as well over the years.
“You and your family should be so proud of what you have achieved.”
Fr Kieran McAteer leads a Corpus Christi procession in Letterkenny back in 1986.
And the man who had achieved it then took to the microphone to acknowledge all who had been involved in putting the exhibition together.
“It also means a lot to see so many faces here tonight.
“I never imagined I would be having an exhibition in the main gallery of the R.C.C.,” said Declan.
He could, he indicated, not have had a better curator than Shaun Hannigan. They had known each other for a considerable time through his, Declan’s, involvement in commissioned work from the Regional Cultural Centre.
Closing his address, Declan referred to a specific photograph that was placed on the wall at the entrance to the gallery, that of his uncle Archdeacon Tommy Doherty – a century of images between them. One other of the close to 500 images – some of them looping on screens in the gallery space – features a young man closeted in the Donegal News darkroom in 1986 busy developing another masterpiece.
An artist at work and much of it on display over the next few weeks at the Regional Cultural Centre.
