Rose Shaw Photographs 1905

Rose Shaw’s photographs take you back in time to show ordinary life in the Clogher Valley. Rose Shaw first came to the Clogher Valley, County Tyrone as a governess to the Gledstanes who lived at Fardross, near Clogher.

Rose Shaw documented everyday life in the Clogher Valley, County Tyrone through a small but valuable collection of photographs. Originally arriving in the area as a governess to the Gledstanes at Fardross, she used her spare time as an amateur photographer to capture ordinary local scenes and people.

Her employers, the Gledstane’s were Captain (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Ambrose Upton Gledstanes, 30th Lancers (Gordon’s Horse), an only son, and his wife, Isabella.

Most of her images are members of the Holland, McElroy, McCaughey and Tierney families in the townlands of Ballymacan, Ballyscally and Corleaghan, near the village of Clogher.

Rose developed her photos at Fardross in a windowless room off the dining room where the Gledstanes kept their silver. The  surviving images include a girl with a creel for collecting turf, making hay, smoking pipes, playing fiddles and melodeons, children walking to school barefoot and women clad in the traditional dress.

Fewer than 40 photographs are known to survive. Some were published in Carleton’s Country (1930)  which had an introduction by Sir Shane Leslie and others in her book ‘My Irish Friends”

Later, Shaw moved to Bath, England, where she became known for her theatre costume designs. Her full name was Miss Rosoman (Rose) Lucy Maskelyne Shaw; she was born in 1859 and died in 1949 aged 90.

The stories behind Rose Shaw’s photographs.

Clogher Community Village Forum has carried research to identify the local Clogher Valley people in Rose Shaw’s photographs.

The Forum secured Rose Shaw images courtesy of National Museums NI and privately owned books which included her photographs – ‘Carleton’s Country’ and  ‘My Irish Friends’. An exhibition of Rose Shaw’s photographs was held in Corick House Hotel, Clogher and over 250 people attended and helped to identify their family members.

The Forum are working with family members to record short videos giving the background and stories behind each photograph. View the Stories behind Rose Shaw’s Photographs

Contact the Forum to hire the Rose Shaw Collection and arrange a speaker for the personal stories behind the photographs.

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Interview on ‘Your Place and Mine’ BBC Radio Ulster. This interview followed the successful exhibition of the Rose Shaw photographs in Corick House, Hotel.

Photographs from  ‘Carleton’s Country’ (Talbot Press, Dublin, First published 1930 reprinted 1931) owned by Richard Mulligan and Jack Johnston ‘My Irish Friends’

Rose Shaw mentioned in ITV travel series of the Clogher Valley  Northern Ireland Digital Archive (17:38) first shown 1986.