Clodagh O'Leary

Never Be Without Your Horse, 2024

120mm film photograph | Unframed: 42 x 59.5 cm

‘Never Be Without Your Horse is a portrait of the Smith brothers from my larger and ongoing project Sublicks and Lackeens. This project invites the viewer to look at Traveller children for what they are: children. Through candid portraits and intimate scenes, these photographs show moments of pride, playfulness and mischief, traits shared by all children. The project aims to challenge negative stereotypes forged by The Report of the Commission on Itinerancy 1963, which marked the first systematic attempt by the Irish government to “settle” travellers and force assimilation.’ - Clodagh O'Leary.

Clodagh O’Leary is a self-taught photographer from Kerry, who also works, in Dublin, as a Speech and Language Therapist. Her photography is primarily documentary and it represents an exploration of Ireland, capturing the relationship between tradition and transformation. Using primarily film photography, she is drawn to remnants of Ireland’s social and political past, exploring its meanings and roles in current Ireland. She has received two Agility Awards and has exhibited in various galleries across Ireland, including the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts.

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