"The Light of Other Days"-by Jim Maginn

Review of exhibition "The Light Of Other Days " By Jim Maginn


The photographic exhibition "The Light Of Other Days" is currently on at the Gallery of Photography, which is located at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar in Dublin.
 It features a selection of  black and white photographic portraits  from photographer Jim Maginn, focusing  exclusively on Irish musicians from the year 1985-2012 . The exhibition runs from the 22nd of January 2014 until the 26th of January.

Photographer Jim Maginn

Jim Maginn's exhibition provides a powerful insight into the lives of Irish musicians as they play the music that they devote their lives to.  Jim Maginn is a skilled portrait photographer and his aim is to capture photographs of people exactly as they appear. In the 1970s he began to explore the world around him through photography, and he was keen to interlink his passion for photography with his other great passion for Irish traditional music. Maginn's portraits features people singing, playing their instruments, laughing and relaxing in the company of fellow musicians.  He has taken photographs of musicians such as Archie McKeegan, Tommy Keenan, Peter Welsh, Paddy Harpur, Josie McDermott, and musical group The McGoldricks to name but a few.

His  photographs have all been taken in black and white, which creates a timeless, almost historic effect and makes his work stand out in the eyes of the viewer. My favourite photograph would have to be the portrait of musician Tommy Keenan, who is holding his fiddle and looks to be preparing to play. Although he is visibly a tired, elderly man, one can see the brightness in his eyes while holding his beloved instrument and it is clear that his music brings him great joy. It seems to me that Jim Maginn is very skilled in capturing and showing the emotion experienced by his subjects in his photos.

I greatly admire Jim Maginn and his work which I feel is promoting the work of Irish musicians, and  is also preserving our rich culture for traditional music which has seen near extinction in recent years. I believe that Jim Maginn wants others to not only share in his passion for photography, but also his passion for music. He himself says, " If my admiration and appreciation of these musicians - some of whom have shared much hardship, all of whom have given great joy- are conveyed in these images, then I am more than content."