CHANGING FACE OF WEXFORD

HOW much has Wexford changed since the early 1900’s? In many areas it has changed beyond recognition and in others hardly at all.

Photograher Des Kiely of McClure Meadows carried out an interesting comparison investigation through the medium of the lens by superimposing modern day photos over black and white pictures of Wexford from the famous Lawrence Collection in the National Library and others from the 1950’s and 1960’s.

His exhibition ‘Wexford Past and Present’ is continuing in Wexford library until June 30.

Take the library itself. One of Wexford’s newest buildings, it obviously doesn’t feature in the Lawrence Collection. Early photos in the exhibition show a two-storey whitewashed property and then a crumbling ruin where the library was constructed but many other Wexford buildings are still as they were back then including the YMCA building in Selskar, the Post Office in Anne Street, Wexford Arts Centre and of course, the Swan in the Faythe.

The Redmond Monument still has pride of place in the middle of Redmond Square but you won’t find a horse and cart parked at O’Brien’s cafe or Mcauley’s pharmacy as you do outside the original premises that was there - Doyle and Nolan Wines and Spirits.

You won’t find a shop called Fat Face or anything like it in the old photos. The old North Main Street business was called John Daly and Son in common with most shops of the time which simply had the name of the owner over the door.

Des Kiely, whose day job is a graphic designer, said he was struck by how much Wexford has changed and at the same time hasn’t changed.

‘What was amazing was that I was standing in the same location as a photographer from 100 years ago.’