Dorothea Lange's Visit to West Clare 1954 - Talk and Film Screening (Heritage Week)

What to Expect

In 1954, Life magazine commissioned celebrated American photographer Dorothea Lange - widely described as the mother of photojournalism - to document rural Irish life. She spent time in West Clare, capturing over 2,400 images of schoolchildren, shopkeepers, farmers, cattle dealers and ordinary people going about their lives. While fewer than 20 images appeared in the final magazine article, her Clare photographs are now recognised as a remarkable record of mid-20th-century Ireland. This Heritage Week event includes an overview of Lange’s documentary practice, a presentation of her Clare images and their backstories, and a full screening of the hour-long documentary film “Postcards to Send” by filmmaker Deirdre Lynch.

Good to Know

• Part of National Heritage Week 2026 (15 to 23 August). Exact date and time to be confirmed at heritageweek.ie.
• Free event. Venue listed as County Clare - confirm location on the Heritage Week listing page.
• The 2,400 Clare images can be explored in the book “Dorothea Lange’s Ireland” by Gerry Mullins and at the Oakland Museum of California’s Dorothea Lange Digital Archive.

Getting There

Clare Museum is on Arthur’s Row in Ennis town centre, beside the Tourist Office, a short walk from the bus station.