Munster Express Online

Both the Mayor of Waterford, Cllr. Mary O’Halloran and the Mayor of Tramore councillor Joe Conway. Launched the official opening of “The End Of An Era REVISITED”: Annie Brophy’s Final Photographs, 1977-1979.

This exhibition was previously held in Waterford Library and has moved to the Tramore Coastguard Station.

Cllr. Mary O’Halloran, Mayor of Waterford said that Annie Brophy was not just a photographer-she was, in the truest sense, an artist! Every one of her photographs is a masterpiece in its own right and she never, ever compromised on the quality of the work she produced. Even when times were hard and money was scarce, you could always expect a treasure from Annie Brophy!

She took wonderful portraits of her husband, Tony, and his family. In fact Donal Moore. City Archivist and his staff found the negative of Tony’s Confirmation photo recently and presented us with a lovely new print.

This is what this exhibition is all about. In many homes Annie’s wonderfully prepared and presented photographs still take pride of place on mantelpieces, on the top of the piano or on sitting room walls. They are a permanent reminder to us, our families and friends of the way we looked at some stage in the past. They are also a reminder, sometimes not necessarily a pleasant one, of how fashions and hair styles can change and how we can change over the years!

Annie did not just photograph the rich and famous, she photographed the real people of her place-the city and county of Waterford and the surrounding counties. Most of the subjects in the photos were known personally to Annie. Each of these images has a history and each person in the images is or was known to at least some of us. These photographs can also be a reminder to us of parents, family and others who may no longer be with us.

The Brophy Collection was purchased by the City Council to be made accessible. This process will take considerable time and money and is a strong indication of the City Council’s long-term commitment to the development of a top-class professional archival service for Waterford city and it people.

Donal Moore and his staff have identified the people in 56 of the 60 photographs on display. He asked me to thank all those who helped with identification. He asks your help in identifying the remaining 4 photos and says he will not sleep until he does so!

Several members of the Brophy family join us this evening. It is particularly fitting that the last photograph Annie took was of her niece, Carmel, who had actually worked with her for a short while.

The Collection will now remain permanently in Waterford and will be made accessible to the people of the city in which she spent her entire life and those whose photographs were her life’s work. I hope that for them this exhibition is a suitable tribute to a great woman who was ahead of her time in so many ways.

The exhibition is being run in conjunction with Bealtaine- the national festival celebrating creativity in older age, now in its 13th year.

This is the first joint exhibition organised by Waterford City Archives and Waterford County Archive Service

Joanne Rothwell, County Archivist, Donal Moore, City Archivist, and their staffs were thanked for their work by both Mayors.

Mayor Conway noted that it would be loved by those who like nostalgia and social history. Bring your children he exhorted and see what the past was like and pass on some memories.