Reclaiming the Workhouse - December 2024
An exhibition of a digital archive of photographs of Athy Workhouse by Brian Cregan who will give a presentation about the project and an introduction to the Poor Law Union archives of County Kildare by Karel Kiely, archivist, will take place on 6 December at 11.00 am at Kildare County Archives and Local Studies, Harbour View, Naas.
This is the culmination of two Creative Ireland funded projects in 2023 and 2024 which involved artist photographer Brian Cregan working with local communities to explore and reflect on the heritage and history of the workhouse in Athy through a series of creative workshops as well creating a digital archive of photographs.
"In 2023, Creative Ireland Kildare funded a County Archives project to conserve and digitise Athy Workhouse records and run a workshop for creative practitioners," says Karel Kiely, historian with the Kildare County Archives. "Arising from this successful project, the County Archives was invited to photograph the unused part of the former Workhouse/County Home to ensure there was a record of this unique building. These buildings have a unique place in Irish history; they operated from the early 1840s to the early 1920s and were described by historian John O’Connor as ‘the most feared and hated institution ever established in Ireland’, a place for those who are often lost and forgotten to history.
"Brian’s project used the digital photographic archive of the building to provide creative opportunities to explore a sense of place, heritage, and identity and to enhance and support Co. Kildare's local cultural and creative community. This building is an important part of our history, architecturally, socially and in the collective consciousness." Like many of its kind in Ireland, Athy Workhouse has undergone several transformations over time. From an institution that symbolised oppression and despair to a hospital providing care for older people, the building is an important part of the area's architectural and social history. The digital archive is now part of the Kildare County Archives collections.
The project has enhanced wellbeing through creative participation from the local community. A key element of the project was a series of photography workshops at Athy Library, with Athy Photographic Society and with a local national school Scoil Phádraig Naofa where participants and pupils learnt about composition, exposure, lighting and editing techniques.
For more information on the project see:
https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/event/reclaiming-the-workhouse/