Collection P99 - Bob Quinn Photographic Archive

5 boxes (32 folders, 2,167pp)

Bob Quinn is an Irish film-maker, photographer, and writer based in Connemara, Co. Galway, where he both lives and runs Cinegael. Among his film credits are the 1978 film 'Poitín' - the first feature film made entirely in the Irish language; the 1987 film 'Budawanny' adapted from Pádraig Standúin's novel 'Súil le Breith', and the Atlantean documentary series. He has produced a wide variety of work including shorts, feature length films and documentaries, challenging notions of Celtic identity and upending stereotypes romanticising the West of Ireland.

This photographic archive is comprised of 5 boxes of contact sheets and corresponding negatives. Most of the photographs in the archive are from the mid 1980's-early 2000's, when Bob Quinn was immersed in the creation of 'Budawanny', 'The Bishop's Story', and in his local community in Connemara. This archive chronicles Quinn's professional film-making life, with behind the scenes photographs from the sets of 'Poitín', 'Budawanny', 'The Bishop's Story', and 'Detour', and cinematic stills. Some earlier photographs are included from the making of 'Poitín' (P99/5/3/1-5). There are also several portrait photographs that were later published in 'Conamara: An Tír Aineoil / The Unknown Country'. This 1997 book contains photographs and brief bi-lingual biographies about people from the Irish-speaking areas of West Connemara and their way of life. The photographs in the book are by Bob Quinn, with words from Liam Mac an Iomaire.

The archive also contains many photographs of local community life in Quinn's adopted homeplace, taken from an immersive and engaged local perspective. Community events such as annual pantomimes, Féile Pléaracha Chonamara (an annual arts festival celebrating the Irish language and traditional arts and culture of the Connemara Gaeltacht), the Galway Hookers regatta - Féile an Dóilín, sean-nós dancing, oyster festivals, local St Patrick's Day parades feature prominently, along with images from the launch of Teilifís na Gaeilge, campaigns for various Údarás Elections, portrait pictures of many local people.

Finally, the archive is interspersed with family photographs of Bob Quinn's partner, Miriam Allen and his children.

The original order and the sequential numbering of the contact sheets and negatives have been maintained.

This collection is available to all bone fide researchers, and subject to the conditions of access governing consultation of archival material at the James Hardiman Library. For a full statement of these conditions, see: http://www.library.nuigalway.ie/resources/archives/access.html. No material may be reproduced from this collection without the written permission of the archivist, and all reproductions are subject to conditions of access. The most appropriate form of reference is: title of item; date of item; reference number (P99), James Hardiman Library Archives, NUI Galway.
Open

Contact sheets and negatives. They are in excellent condition, but should be handled using gloves to protect the items.

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Catalog

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13/05/2020
24/06/2025