Photographic exhibition Inside Out reflects life in a community nursing care facility

A project titled Inside Out, is the result of collaboration with the residents of Cluain Lir Community Nursing unit, clients of the associated daycare facility and artists Emma O'Brien and Lucy Tormey.

Supported by Creative Westmeath, which facilitated over 40 creative projects and communities across the county, Inside Out opens this Thursday November at 2.30pm, in the Cluain Lir nursing home, and runs until December 21.

Inside Out is a photographic project that reflects the ins and outs of life in a community nursing care facility.

The project evolved through conversations with residents and clients about the extraordinary lives they have lived, about the colourful stories and histories they hold and about how life in care affects their ability to remain connected to their communities.

The photographs and this exhibition speak of a cross section of people who either reside or attend the services are Cluain Lir.

The men and women shared glimpses into their lives through their activities, interests and personal belongings.

Every individual has an extraordinary story to tell; among the group a morse code operator who has carried the four leaf clover she found as a girl in her purse for over 70 years, the woman who was Ireland's first qualified female scuba diver, the man who designed the processional cross for the Pope's visit in 1979.

There are military heroes, avid readers, musicians, singers, champion boxers, county footballers, hairdressers, lifelong pioneers, lifelong friends, craftsmen, business people and characters from the town, who have disappeared from the streets but are still here to tell their stories.

During our conversations some residents and daycare clients speak passionately about a wish to be heard for their ideas to be taken into account and importantly that their stories not go on untold. The exhibition aims to touch on those stories in a way that is respectful and mindful of the dignity of everyone involved.

Inside Out is the first exhibition of its kind but there is much to build on. Cluain Lir wish to develop this exhibition, adding to and curating it in 2024 to take it further into the community, utilizing it as a way to connect with the wider community by bringing it to other spaces and venues.

Special thanks to activity coordinators Karina Brown and Ruth Donahue and to Isobel, Lauren, and Michelle in daycare for their input and support.