Martin Conlon currently has a photographic exhibition on at the Cork Vision Centre for the month of May, in which he is exploring the various landscapes, meanings and memories in St Joseph’s (est. c.1832) and St Finbarre’s (est. 1867) Cemeteries, Cork. I like what he is trying to do, in terms of using photography in promoting an interest, an awareness, an appreciation of those amazing ‘garden cemeteries’ which are very much part of the heart and soul and of the city and county’s heritage. I feel Martin has an important contribution to make so I let him tell his story below.

“Both cemeteries are a voyage of discovery. I would visit the cemeteries on countless occasions and see new things each time.

“People visit the graveyards at all hours. I would be there photographing at both sunrise and sunset and there would be people paying their respects at those times. Many Cork people have relatives buried in St Joseph’s and St Finbarre’s. Indeed, my own grandmother and grandfather are buried in St Finbarre’s Cemetery. In the early days, I was somewhat unfocussed on what to photograph but as my project developed, particular themes begin to emerge. Some of my pictures have statues, views of landscapes, crosses in various positions; others show details, still other pictures show what we leave at gravesides, flowers and objects or connections to the people to the people who have passed away.

I’ve tried to remove my photographs of the cemeteries from their environmental context. Both St Joseph’s and St. Finbarre’s Cemeteries are set within large, established housing estates but, overall I’ve attempted to exclude the exterior world in the images.