Local poet and photographer launch book and film dedicated to Midlands town

POET Eileen Casey, and photographer Jackie Lynch have created a short film, and a stunning publication, featuring both poetry and photography which captures impressions of Birr, where they both grew up.

Entitled “Birr Town Stills”, the book and short film offer new insights into the landscape of Birr, focusing on 'hidden' elements as well as familiar ones. The film made its debut in Birr Theatre and Arts Centre on Friday, September 22nd, as part of Birr Culture Night, and was commissioned by Offaly County Council. At the launch the audience heard the artists speak about their unique collaboration.

Though they grew up in the same town, both women's experiences of Birr were, of course, entirely unique.

Casey, born in High Street, remembers when Bridge Street was the only town in Ireland with shops on it, in true Venetian fashion. Her poetry and prose are widely published in several major anthologies, and she has published six collections including her most recent “Bog Treasure”.

Lynch grew up in Connaught Street, and has previously published a photography book based on Birr entitled “My Hometown”. She developed her photography in Japan for a time, where she practised an aesthetic called ‘wabisabisuki’, and she is also a documentary filmmaker.

“Birr Town Stills” features everything from the mosaic tiled aisle in Saint Brendan’s Church, to Birr Post Office, both credited to Casey’s stonemason heritage from her father's side. Lynch’s keen eye captures the unexpected, the sudden realisation of something precious but overlooked.

The limited-edition publication of “Birr Town Stills”, also commissioned by the Offaly County Council Arts Office, is on sale for €15, the perfect Christmas present for those living away from home.

As both artists say in their introduction, Birr is a place they'll always want to return to.