PICTURES: Huge crowd shows up to support launch of Tipperary author's new book

The fifth photographic Tipperary People book by Elaine Fitzpatrick, was launched by Dr Des Marnane, at the Tipperary Excel on Wednesday December 17.

Book five in the collection took 11 years to compile.

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The previous four books were 3 years apart.

The first in 2004, then 2008, 2011 and the fourth in 2014.

Speaking at the launch Elaine said that dates were significant in deciding the structure of the book.

"I realised that in 2025 it's over 100 years since my grandfather and his brother started Fitzpatrick Printers, upon their release from internment after the Civil War. Additionally, it's 150 years since The Tipperary People newspaper was established at 7 Davis Street, Tipperary, in 1875; a paper that influenced the nationalist outlook of the town. The editor John R McCormack, was a strong supporter of the Plan of Campaign, and pushed the idea of resistance and the building of New Tipperary in 1890. The editor influenced my grandfather and granduncles who worked for the newspaper from 1911, in their nationalist outlooks, and eventually saw them leave the newspaper to go on the run so that by April 1921 the newspaper was sold, due to lack of workers, and a new paper The Tipperaryman was established," said Elaine.

The book was launched by Dr Des Marnane, who said that this was Elaine Fitzpatrick's fifth collection of Tipperary photographs.

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"It's the fifth time that Elaine invites us to time-travel, allowing each of her readers to have very individual experiences, as this photograph or that strikes a chord, opens a memory or triggers an emotion. To have all five volumes on your shelf is to have access to mixed emotions depending on your engagement with people and places over the years; nostalgia absolutely, pleasure certainly, sadness probably. That's the thing about a collection of old photographs - they show a lot of dead people, or more precisely it's that tension between what was and is, that releases sometimes complicated feelings," said Dr Marnane.

Dr Marnane concluded by saying: "There is no going back and that is the challenge of old photographs of oneself or of family".

Yes there is no going back but these photographs allow us to go back in time even for short periods.

It's a wonderful collection and congratulations to Elaine and her team on a magnificent publication.