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A UNIQUE photographic
collection of Buncrana throughout the years by
Thomas ‘the Miller’ Doherty has gone on display at
the Inishowen Art Gallery, Milltown Business Park,
Ardaravan in an effort to raise funds for the Foyle
Hospice.
Thomas “The Miller” from Ballymagan, has been
snapping and collecting old images of Buncrana and
local residents since 1944.
It started when he worked for Neil Farren who was
the chemist in the town. “Neil was also a
professional photographer as well as a chemist and
was a real inspiration to me,” Thomas explained.
“He saw I was interested in taking pictures and
bought me my first camera, a box brownie. Neil and I
would go out to the Plaza on the Main St and Neil
would take photos of people dancing and enjoying
themselves.”
Thomas added that when the pictures were taken he
would take the film to Neil’s wife and she would
develop them straight away in the shop.
“It’s hard to believe now, but thanks to a state of
the art Roll Head printer, those photos were ready
by two in the morning when the Plaza closed. Neil
and I would be outside the Plaza doors with the
pictures ready for sale. We sold hundreds of them,”
he remembers. |
