Inní agus Inniú

Ó “The Donegal Pictures”, Foilsithe 1987

Rachel Giese Brown

Athraíonn an grianghrafadóir, Rachel Giese Brown, radharcanna áilne tírdhreacha Dhún na nGall go scéal feiceálach dramatúil dá cheantracha agus dá dhaoine sna grianghraif dhá dhath seo.

I gceartlár a scéil, tá an tEaragal ard ag dianmhúnlú imeachtaí laethúla na gcainteoirí dúchais Gaeilge. Ar an imeall, tchíthear na mionsonraí eisceachtúla suntasacha a thugann grianghrafadóir faoi deara, grianghrafadóir a thógann a ham le héirí eolach ar áit faoi leith, ar a stair speisialta agus ar shaol na muintire a chónaíonn san áit.

Thar aon bhliain déag agus corradh, thagadh Rachel Giese Brown go rialta go Gort a Choirce agus An Fál Carrach, ceantair inar chaith sí tréimhsí fada. San áit chreagach scoite sin, chuir sí aithne mhaith ar phobal a dtug sí gean agus urraim dóibh le hionracas géarchúiseach.

Tá cónaí fadsaoil ar Rachel Giese Brown i dTruro, Cape Cod, SAM. Nuair amháin a bhí cúigear clainne tógtha aici, chuaigh sí i mbun gairme mar ghrianghrafadóir proifisiúnta. Tháing sí ar a céad turas go hÉirinn sa bhliain 1976 agus faoin bhliain 1981, dhírigh sí a cuid oibre ar cheantar beag in iarthuaisceart na hÉireann, gleann fada ag síneadh idir an Atlantach agus an tEaragail.

Cé gurbh í an litríocht agus éirim an cheoil a mheall mé go hÉirinn i dtús báire, ba é drámaíocht leanúnach na n-eilimintí nádúrtha agus saol a bhí ag an am céanna simplí agus casta, a cheap agus a choinnigh mé, a deir Rachel Giese Brown. Tá dúil mhór aici a bheith ag léamh filíocht na hÉireann agus creideann sí gur chóir do dhuine grianghraf a léamh díreach mar a léifeá dán. Bhí an méid seo le rá ag Ciarán Carson ina réamhrá: Tá na grianghraif seo i gcontrárthacht leis an bharúil atá ag turasóirí dÉirinn. Dar liomsa go bhfuil saothar Rachel Giese fite fuaite le traidisiún Dinnsheanchais na hÉireann. . . . Déanann gníomh nasc le háit; agus tá súile Rachel Giese i dtólamh ag fiosrú na háite agus ag lorg féidearthachtaí gníomhacha.

Sa bhliain 1987, foilsíodh 79 grianghraf ón bhailiúchán saothar áirithe seo faoin teideal The Donegal Pictures. Rinne Cathal Ó Searcaigh an t-aistriúchán agus ba é Ciarán Carson a scríobh an réamhrá. Tá Rachel Giese Brown ag obair mar ghrianghrafadóir ó shin i leith agus tá taispeántais leitheadacha déanta aici go hidirnáisiúnta.

Ar mhaithe le cionroinnt chomhaimseartha a chur leis an taispeántas seo agus, bfhéidir, súl siar a thabhairt ar an achar ama, chomhoibrigh An Gailearaí, agus go háirithe Ray Fallon, le daltaí na 4ú bliana i bPobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair. Reáchtáil Ray sraith ceardlann inar chuir sé na daltaí ar an eolas fá shaothar Rachel agus inar theagasc sé buntús na fótagrafaíochta dóibh. Tugadh tascanna éagsúla mar obair bhaile do na daltaí agus de réir a chéile chruthaigh siad an saothar atá ar taispeántas anseo. Thig libhse, an lucht féachana, na hathruithe atá tagtha ón chéad thuairisc a rinne Rachel a dheimhniú daoibh féin!

Pobailscoil Gaoth Dobhair Participants:
Ashleigh Nic Suibhne, Caoimhe Ní Cholla, Clara Ní Ghallachoir, Holly Nic Pháidín, Kelly Nic Suibhne, Megan Nic Ruairí, Sarah Ní Cholla, Eileen Ní Gairbheith, Megan Níc Eachmharcaigh, Oisín Ó Scolaí, Séan, Pól Mac Mathúna, Noel Mac Pháidín agus Kate Ní Dhomhnaill.

Second Sight

From “The Donegal Pictures“, Published 1987

Rachel Giese Brown

Photographer Rachel Giese Brown transforms the visually dramatic landscape of Donegal into a dramatic visual narrative of its places and people in these duotone photographs. At the centre of her story looms Mount Errigal, shaping profoundly the daily events of an Irish-speaking community. At the perimeter are the exceptional, significant details that are observed by a photographer who has taken time to become familiar with a particular place, its special history, and its individual lives.

For over eleven years Rachel Giese Brown journeyed regularly for long periods to Gortahork and Falcarragh. In that rugged terrain she found a community she came to know intimately, with affection and with admiration but also with keen honesty.

A lifelong resident of Truro, Cape Cod, USA, Ms Giese Brown became a professional photographer after raising a family of five. Her first trip to Ireland was in 1976 and by 1981 she centred her work on a small area in the northwest corner of Ireland, a long glen between the Atlantic and Mount Errigal.

“While I was originally drawn to Ireland by the literature and music wit, it was the ongoing drama of the natural elements and a life that is both simple and complex that held me” says Ms Giese Brown. An avid reader of Irish poetry, she believes “you should read a photograph as you would read a poem”.

In his introduction Ciarán Carson commented “These photographs lie at a tangent to the accepted tourist view of Ireland. Rachel Giese’s work seems to me to connect with the Irish tradition of Dinnsheanchas . . . Action connects with place; and Rachel Giese’s eye is always questioning the place for active possibilities.” 79 photographs of this particular body of work were published as “The Donegal Pictures” in 1987 in which Cathal Ó Searcaigh translated and the forward was contributed by Ciarán Carson. Rachel Giese Brown has continued to work as a photographer and has exhibited extensively internationally.

To make a contemporary contribution to this exhibition and perhaps trace the space in time An Gailearaí and particularly Ray Fallon worked with the 4th year students from Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair. Over a series of workshops Ray introduced the students to Rachel’s work and then taught them the rudiments of photography. The students were set various tasks as homework and eventually developed the work here exhibited. You, the audience, can determine what changes have taken place since Rachel’s first record.