An exhibition of unique large format photographs of Dublin in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising runs at the Irish Architectural Archive at Merrion Square, Dublin until August 31. The photographs were taken by antiquarian Thomas Westropp. The archive holds 12 albums by Westropp. On January 25, 1916, three months before The Rising, Thomas Johnson Westropp (1860-1922) delivered his Presidential Address to the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. It was the apogee of a career spent in what he himself referred to as ‘the severe and less popular type of archaeology’. Born in 1860 to a wealthy Limerick landowning family, Westropp graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, as a civil engineer in 1885. His independent means ensured that he was able to devote himself on a full-time basis to antiquities. He published over 300 articles, and his comprehensive surveys of the prehistoric monuments and medieval buildings of Limerick and Clare stand amongst his finest achievements. His camera was a vital archaeological tool, and collections of his photographs have found their way into the National Museum, National Library, Trinity College, Royal Irish Academy and Irish Architectural Archive.
The events of Easter Week 1916 clearly affected Westropp; he turned his camera away from the past to focus very much on the present. His position and reputation provided him with privileged access, and between May and June he took at least forty-four photographs of the damaged city. Here are some samples:
Portico of the GPO. May 1916
Liberty Hall. May 1916.
Lower O’Connell Street, with the ruins of the Dublin Bread Company Restaurant and Clery’s. May 1916
Henry St. and Mary St. from the top of Nelson’s Pillar.