A LOCAL man is set to showcase work of a famous Irish photographer in Ballyshannon this weekend, in honour of his late mother.
Frankie McPhillips from Tempo is putting on an exhibition called The Lost River – Remembering The Erne. It will take place this Friday and Saturday in The Kilbarron Parish Centre, Ballyshannon. Admission starts at 12 noon. The exhibition focuses on photographs taken by Robert French Circa 1880.
“The photographs cover the area between Belleek and Ballyshannon and show the beauty of the old river before hydro-electric dams were built in the 1950s and ruined the Erne as a famous fly fishing river,” Frankie explained.
Frankie said the exhibition was also personal.
“My mother was from Ballyshannon,” he said. “As a child we spent a lot of time there visiting my grandparents.
“She always kept in touch with the town and her friends. I still have a great love for the place and visit regularly.”
The Erne in the late 1800s had a fantastic salmon run. Anglers came from around the world to fish. Frankie attempts to match the photographs with descriptions of famous angling pools from the literature of the time.
Fly fishing gave rise to the craft of fly dressing. The exhibition will show photos of old ghillies with their catches. There will also be collections of salmon flies and Victorian fishing memorabilia.
Frankie hopes the exhibition will reconnect people with the river’s past.
“It’s about remembering the beauty of the Erne, the life it supported, and the traditions that grew around it,” he said.
