The first ever color photographs of Ireland taken by two French women in 1913 - PHOTOS

Nice photos but they are not the first colour photographs taken in Ireland. An Irish scientist, John Joly invented one of the earliest methods of colour photography; later known as the Joly Colour Process which he patented in the late 1800s and sold commercially for a few years. The National Library's Photographic archive has a large collection of his colour slides. They are mainly of botanical subjects. Christopher Morash's, A History of the Media in Ireland, published by Cambridge University Press, apparently contains one of his pictures and states that: "One of the earliest practical processes for producing colour photographs was developed in Dublin in 1892 by Professor John Joly of Trinity College. Interestingly, he chose an image that was iconic of tradition – an Irish peasant girl – to demonstrate the process in the pages of the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. Courtesy of the Royal Irish Academy."

I'm told by relatives in Ireland that only the well-off can now afford to have thatched cottages. Putting on such a roof requires highly paid skilled labor, often brought in from a distance. And the maintenance costs are high too. Times change. In New England lobster used to be a food strictly for the poor.

Great article. I love the photos too. Thanks to the writer Michelle Smith for explaining the meaning of the Claddagh. @ Eiriamach, I agree it would be fascinating to visit these sites to see the contrast.

A landlord would have had a horse.

A very informative article, thanks! The slideshow is wonderful, with the photo of Main Ni Tuathail a beautiful high point. It would be fascinating to compare the ruins of Mellifont in that era with the Mellifont of today, or other areas photographed during this project with the same areas as they are today.

Two wealthy landlords no doubt. They have shoes.