Before discos and selfies, there was the social—the heart of Church of Ireland youth culture from the 1950s to the early 1980s. Rooted in parish halls, these dances were carefully overseen by parents and parish committees, shaping a unique social scene now mostly preserved through memory, not photographs.
This project brings those memories to life. Through stories shared by the Offaly youth of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, I’ve created a visual memory focusing on the clothes, the hair, the cars, and the subtle social codes of a very different era.
A visual tribute to a time when style was captured in conversation, not on camera.
This was a Creative Ireland Programme made possible by Offaly County Council, Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, and the Mother’s Union branches of Shinrone. Kinnitty, Aghancon, Dunkerrin,
