Then the 80s came and Ireland hit one of the worst of its many recessions. For Tony this was the formative period. "It was difficult. Bookings dried up, weddings cancelled, but we stuck with it. We knew that if we could survive we would be stronger for it".

And survive they did. It was at this time that Tony set up his landscape gallery based on North Main Street, now well known to Corkonians and visitors alike.

"We set about developing the gallery and it really took off".

The gallery led to an ambitious project to develop an extensive photographic archive of Cork city and county. The idea was developed with the support of John X Miller from the Cork Vision Centre and also has the backing of City Manager Joe Gavin.

"That's my ambition now," he says. "I want to leave something worthwhile and what better than an archive of Cork. I've been developing it for 15 years now and it will be a substantial collection". Tiny has already exhibited much of this work in five exhibitions at the Vision Centre and the archive continues to grow.

Despite the success of the gallery Tony hasn't forgotten his bread and butter though. He continues to work in all fields with commercial work and PR work still a central part of the business.

He has also been a member of Fianna Fáil for many years and politics remains a central part of his work. One of Tony's most high-profile jobs was as personal photographer to Jack Lynch. "That was a great job, and very interesting. I met many people and also had the task of presenting images of Ireland to Europe as we were about to join the then EEC. It was a great time for me".

The political work continues to this day, "I'm a Fianna Fáil member but I have friends from all the parties in Cork. I'm already working on a number of projects for next-year's local elections which is keeping me busy," he says.

Tony shows no signs of slowing down either. He is deeply involved with the Cork City Sports for which he acts as PRO and is a committee member. It's been a long road, but clearly a successful and fulfilling one.

What about today's budding photographers, does Tony have any advice for them?

"It's not as easy as it seems. There's a lot of admin work and sitting in front of computers involved these days. Taking the photos is the fun part, but it's only part of the job.

"It's vital to get some experience with a professional first, before you go out on your own. On top of that you need to be aware that behind it all, it's a people business. You have to get on with all sorts of people and keep your options open. It's difficult business to survive in as a specialist. I'd advice anyone to as many types of work as you can".

To learn more about Tony O'Connell Photography visit www.tonyoconnell.com.

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