Midland Arts and Culture Magazine | SPRING 2013

as opposed to just the technical.
There is also now an emphasis
on studying recognised fine art
photographers much the same as
traditional History of Art recognises
the skills of acclaimed painters.
If you look around, the
number of exhibitions that
showcase photography are
more numerous than ever
before – from wild life to
architectural forms to fine
art photography.
Templemichael College Longford
is increasingly becoming a serious
centre for the study of photography
in the Midlands. The College offers
photography as part of its Art
and Design PLC. Photography is
increasingly standing side by side with
more traditional genres of art such as
painting and ceramics in terms of
public awareness and in the context
of student demand.
According to Paul Anderson, in his
book, The Fine Art of Photography,
fine art is “any medium of expression
which permits one person to convey
to another an abstract idea of
lofty emotion”.
Pictured are photography
students from
Templemichael College.
Templemichael College
shaping Photography
as a fine art by Shelley Corcoran
And because the Templemichael
College Art and Design students
have sought this creative course
they are producing conceptual Fine Art
photographs that do indeed convey
abstract ideas.
The FETAC Level 5 Photography module
the students are undertaking has
also changed this year, with more
emphasis on Visual Diaries which
lend themselves to the creative
process, the developing of ideas and
the conceptual side of photography
Now in its third year, in Templemichael
College as part of the Art and Design
Course, the amount of Distinctions
received by the Templemichael
Students is very high, which only
proves that the students are
developing their capacity both to
perceive and express creatively and
that they are able to create visual
metaphors to give meaning beyond
the image’s superficial beauty.
The level of creative development of
the students of Templemichael
Community College was very evident
recently in their contribution to the
innovative publication Bang…Bang
She Shot Me (An Introduction to
Digital Art Photography) and in their
continued success in the Longford
Schools Photographer of the Year
Competition in which they participate
through the Longford Schools
Photography Programme.
The demand for photography to be
thought as an art form is increasing
each year and Templemichael
Community College through its
offering of FETAC Level 5 Digital
Photography Course, its participation
in the Longford Schools Photography
Programme and being the location
for the Midland College of
Photography makes it the centre for
the study of photography studies in
the Midlands. M
OFFALY’S LEAD ROLE!
Once again, Offaly and the
Irish midlands are placed
centre of the literary map,
in Geraldine O’Neill’s
tenth novel.
Her faithful and dedicated fans will
be delighted to know that her next
book, Music From Home, (published
by Poolbeg) will be available in local
bookshops and on the internet this
March.
Often compared with the late,
legendary Maeve Binchy, Geraldine
continues to claim the hearts of her
eager readers who span the globe.
Her books have brought Offaly
into readers’ homes and sparked
curiosity, affection, longing and
memories amongst her fans from
all ages and backgrounds.
Geraldine’s books are devoured by
teenage girls (who relate to the young
heroines and enjoy reading about a
different period) and their mothers
and grandmothers (who love the
nostalgic look back to the 60’s they
grew up in). She also has a strong
male fan base, and receives e-mails
from a large number of men including
one from France who worked in Ireland
and loves reading about the country.
Music From Home tells the tale of a
young girl, Maria Conti, growing up in
Manchester with Leo, her widowed
Italian father who owns Leonardo’s
restaurant.
When tragedy strikes, Maria finds that
her comfortable, predictable life is
shattered when she has to turn to her
mother’s estranged family in Ireland.
In the old farmhouse in County Offaly
she uncovers a bitter legacy of secrets
and lies, and she comes to realise
that her mother was not the person
she’d been led to believe she was. As
new stories and new characters come
along with every one of Geraldine’s
books, one thing remains the same –
the leading role of County Offaly! M
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