Newcastle's people and places captured for posterity in Snapshots In Time postcards

The O'Dwyer farming family from Newcastle pictured in one of their fields with their cows. One of the beautiful postcards, Newcastle Historical Society has brought out for its Snapshots in Time project.  

The people, places, businesses  and community organisations that make up Newcastle parish are captured for posterity in a series of 61 postcards produced to mark the 10th anniversary of Newcastle Historical Society’s foundation. 

The Society has called the project, A Snapshot in Time, as the postcards give a unique record of the village and parish over the summer and autumn of 2022 as it emerged from the  Covid-19 pandemic. 

More than 100 people gathered at Newcastle Community Hall last Saturday night for the official launch of the Snapshot in Time postcards by the Historical Society’s chairperson Aisling Langsley. 

Also read: 

Santa to pay whistle-stop visit to Carrick-on-Suir to officially turn on town's Christmas lights

The lights will be switched on at Main Street on Saturday, December 3

Many of those who attended the function are featured in the postcards, which were exhibited at the launch and are on sale now in local shops. 

The Society’s decision to record Newcastle as it is today to mark its 10th anniversary is a departure from its previous projects, which naturally looked to the past. The group was founded in 2012 to erect a monument to five local men who died in World War I. It was unveiled for the 100th anniversary of the war’s outbreak in 2014 with the Society unveiling a  plaque commemorating the centenary of Armistice  Day at the monument in  2018. 

Newcastle Historical Society PRO Breda Lonergan-Ryan said the idea for the postcards project came to her during a period of lovely weather during the pandemic when she used to see her farming neighbours, the O’Dwyers’ five young daughters going up and down the road daily in their wellies herding cows to and from milking.  “I thought wouldn’t that make some postcard; isn’t that modern Ireland at its best,” she recalled.   

A picture of the O’Dwyer family from Burgesland, Newcastle standing in a lush field with their cows in the background was the first postcard photograph to be taken for the Snapshot in Time series. 

The pictures for all the postcards were photographed by Newcastle Historical Society secretary Anita Coyne. She started her photographic odyssey around Newcastle on May 10 and finished just over two weeks ago. 

“We originally had about 20 people and it went up to 61. We have postcards of every kind of business, individuals, community organisations, farmers,” Anita explained. 

Newcastle’s farming community is well represented in the series of postcards. Apart from the O’Dwyer family, Anita photographed farmers who rear  sheep, grow potatoes and organic oats along   with brothers farming in partnership and local agricultural contractors.  Newcastle’s pubs, shops and hairdressers with their owners and staff are among the wide range of local businesses showcased in the postcards that also depict Newcastle village's streetscape, stunning scenic views of the countryside and Knockmealdown Mountains surrounding Newcastle and some of the parish’s historic sites like Prendergast’s old castle.  Another batch of postcards celebrate Newcastle’s thriving community organisations from Newcastle Primary School, Naíonra and Muintir na Tíre to Newcastle’s First Responders and the local motorbikers. Newcastle GAA Club is represented by its county championship winning U13 football team. 

One of the most beautiful postcards in the collection is a picture of Anita’s Peacock, Mr Darcy, and Peahen, Sweetpea, standing in a flowerbed of brilliantly coloured summer flowers. 

Arranging and taking the photographs took a lot of work and weather conditions, whether it was blinding sun during the summer heatwave or wet weather, often threw a spanner in their efforts. 

 Breda said the Historical Society was delighted so many local people were happy to have their photos taken for the postcard project. 

   “We really have a vibrant, thriving community. We didn’t realise how much was going on.”  She  thanked everyone who took part in the project for their patience with  their efforts to get the right photo for the postcards.

“You think it’s simple to get a photo taken but it’s not. We did enjoy it though.  Meeting people and chatting to people, that was the best part of it,” she told The Nationalist. 

Clonmel-based Sureprint printed the  postcards and Breda paid tribute to Melissa McCarthy of Sureprint for her patience, help and support.  The postcards went on sale for the first time at the launch event at Newcastle Community Hall and many were snapped up on the night. 

They are now on sale in  McCarra’s and O’Dwyer’s shops in Newcastle. Breda, who gave a presentation at the launch on the story behind each postcard, said a lot of local people plan to send them as Christmas cards to loved ones and friends. 

All proceeds from the sale of the postcards will go towards funding the running costs of Newcastle Historical Society, which include insurance fees and expenses for  organising its annual  history lectures and outing to an historic site.   

A fundraising quiz for the Society will take place in Nugent’s Pub in Newcastle this Friday night at 7.30pm.