Second exhibition promised as 1,000 people view Joe Dillon photos

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN [gallery] THE huge success of the Joe Dillon photo exhibition held in Tuam's Town Hall on Saturday has led to the organisers promising to hold the event again. An estimated 1,000 people viewed the impressive exhibition featuring old photographs of Tuam, its industries and people during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.[private] There were people queueing outside the hall early on Saturday morning waiting for the doors to open and from then until 7 pm, an hour after the exhibition was scheduled to close, hundreds crowded to view the wonderful display of black and white photographs. Many of the images had never before been seen by the public while others were published decades ago. The event was made possible through the generosity of Joe's widow, Maura, and the efforts of the Old Tuam Sociey (OTS). One of the organisers Anne Tierney told The Tuam Herald that they were truly overwhelmed by the public response to the event. 'We really didn't expect it to get such a huge response. Some people even came back a second time. Because of public demand and comments from those who couldn't attend, we have decided to hold the exhibition again, hopefully before Christmas,' she remarked. She pointed out that a lot of work went into the event and while it will be slightly easier the next time around, considerable voluntary effort will still be needed. Those who visited the collection of photographs thoroughly enjoyed it with one woman saying it was lovely to see and remember a different type of Tuam. 'We also had lots of people asking us how they could buy copies of the photos. Now we're considering compiling a book of the photos because of the interest in them,' added Anne. 'It was a wonderful experience for everyone and it showed the kind of man that Joe was. His photos show a different type of Tuam and it brought back a lot of memories for so many of the people who viewed them. It was wonderful to see their reactions,' she said. Entitled 'Tuam and its People, Through the Eye of the Camera' the exhibition featured many of Tuam's famous showbands as well as its past industries and businesses such as the sugar factory, the IX textile factory, Dart, Erin Foods and Farraghers Contractors. Of course there were many people looking at faces captured on film 30 years ago who have changed considerably in the time passed. Joe was extremely popular for family portraits and much of his work hangs proudly on the walls of homes around the county. The exhibition successfully marked the memory of a talented Tuam man whose work continues to bring a smile to many faces.[/private]