Rare glimpse into Ireland’s past through 1930s colorized photographs (PHOTOS)

American photographer Branson DeCou (1892-1941) traveled the world with his camera and left behind an extraordinarily beautiful Ireland collection, which he painted over in colored ink.

He gives us a quite personal, rare glimpse into the rural and urban Ireland of the 1930s – “a way of life that has long since disappeared,” said Wexford archaeologist Colm Moriarty on his blog.

Moriarty compiled a number of DeCou’s images of various Irish counties with the subtext, “the past is a foreign country.”

DeCou used aniline ink to give the black and white photographs a new lease of life in soft, almost washed out hues of pink, green, blue, yellow and more. His catalog is now stored at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Have a look at a few from the collection:

"Cattle drover, Hanlon's Corner, Dublin City." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Clothes drying, the Claddagh, Galway City." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Nolan's Pub, Tralee, Co. Kerry." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Saint Patrick's Cross, Cashel, Co. Tipperary." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Cottage, Co. Mayo." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Delivering kegs of Guinness, Dublin City." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Newscastle West, Co. Limerick." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"The Treaty Stone, Limerick City." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Creamery, Co. Kerry." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Macroom, Co. Cork." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Bringing the hay home, Co. Dublin." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Carrickfergus Castle [Co. Antrim]." Credit: UC Santa Cruz

"Connemara men." Credit: UC Santa Cruz