County Cork gets new photo festival

Some of the most iconic photographs ever taken by Irish press photographers will feature in a new festival in county Cork this week.

The Big Picture Festival of Press Photography runs from tomorrow, Friday, until Sunday in Kinsale.

The main attraction will be the work of West Cork-based photographer John Minihan who forged a 30 year career on London’s Fleet Street before returning to Ireland. His study of Nobel Prize winner Samuel Beckett has been described as one of the greatest photographs of the 20th century, while his iconic picture of a 19 year old Lady Diana Spencer was the first image captured of the future king of Britain’s new fiancée.

As chief photographer of The Irish Examiner, Dan Linehan will take visitors on a journey that delves into the historic picture archive of the newspaper dating back over 100 years. He will also conduct a smartphone photo workshop with secondary school students as part of the NewsBrands Day.

Other featured photographers presenting at Big Picture 2023 include the Irish Independent's Mark Condren who recently won the AIB Press Photographer of the Year for a record sixth time.

He will present insights into his work ranging from stories about the work of An Garda Síochána as well as the NYPD and also his conic image of an African woman ravaged by famine and war.

Also featuring is multi-award winning Clare Champion photographer John Kelly who will present his portfolio and stories from decades covering the people, life, and times of his region.

The three day festival comprises free and ticketed events ranging from a NewsBrands Ireland engagement day for second-level students and the AIB Press Photographer of the Year exhibition, to photographic walking tours of Kinsale including a session conducted as Gaeilge by Press Photographers Association of Ireland (PPAI) honorary member Pádraig Ó Flannabhra.

"We have an incredible line-up of speakers and activities for Big Picture 2023," said Event Co-Ordinator Dan Linehan of the Press Photographers Association of Ireland. "You don't need to be a photographer to enjoy this festival – anyone who enjoys strong visual stories of the world around us will find this programme worthwhile."

Also included in the line-up with be a double act between well-known photographers Valerie Cox and Domnick Walsh who will present Eye On Kerry. Philip Doyle will also present photographic insights into farming through the archives of the Farmers Journal.

The festival will be based at various venues around the historic town including the new Kinsale Library, the Temperance Hall, and Actons Hotel.

"Press photographers offer a critical service of factual truth-telling through images in an era of fakery and disinformation," said David Branigan, President of the Press Photographers Association of Ireland. "Big Picture 2023 will immerse visitors into the stories of our time told by incredibly skilled visual narrators,” he added.