It may be generally agreed upon by Corkonians that Gougane is connected to the city, that it is some kind of outreach post for the city's heritage (or maybe the city is the outreach post for Gougane's framework of meaning and purpose?).

It is a connection between the countryside and the city forged by something deep in Cork's culture, connected with powerful feelings, emotions, memories and personal experiences. One has to marvel at not only the vast amount of time represented in the Lee Valley and also the personal experiences of every individual that chose to live and survive by its waters.

I constantly marvel at the human experiences I encounter but also now am beginning to reflect on the collective experiences of individuals living in and associated in its creation physically and visually.

The photographs I present are a cross section of photographs published in Our City, Our Town over the last 24 months. Yes, there are the scenic shots of sites such as Lough Allua, The Gearagh, Carrigadrohid and Inniscarra Reservoirs and the Lee fields but there are also shots of artefacts and people or caretakers of the heritage I encountered in my explorations. There are also the photographs of - what could be described as human debris and physical imprints - broken walls and creeping ivy. The photographs represent my journey to understand modern identity within the Lee Valley through immersing myself in the big and small aspects of the valley.

Much of the sites pictures were stumbled across as if in a sense many of the sites were waiting to be photographed but forgotten about. I would see something of interest and 'snap' it. By snapping it, I wanted to record my view, frame it and capture it - to frame and display some kind of visual knowledge. Of course, as a Cork City inhabitant, I bring my own 'town mouse' interpretation to the valley but try to remain partial as much as possible. Many of the scenic pictures may show what looks like wilderness but with so much change within the structure of the valley, the human wilderness is represented and explored. One could see the human intervention as destruction but I see the vast majority of it as survival.

Bringing the exhibition to Gougane Barra, I see the photographs as explorations of the cultural threads connecting the River Lee valley together. It is my way of paying homage to the Gougane's rich cultural heritage and maybe the viewer will see something else and forge new questions. It is a move towards celebrating even more the Lee Valley, a River of Memory.

Photographing the Lee Valley, Landscapes and Memories, by Kieran McCarthy, September 2008, Gougane Barra Hotel, Co. Cork.

To be continued…back to the Lee Scheme next week.

My thanks to Neil and Katy Lucey, Gougane Barra Hotel for the opportunity to use the hotel to display my work; the website for Gougane Barra Hotel is www.gouganebarrahotel.com or 026 47069.

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