Jane W. Shackleton’s Ireland

One of the largest collections of early photographs by a female photographer in Ireland was taken by Jane W. Shackleton from the late 1800s. Jane was married to Joseph F. Shackleton of the famous Shackleton family. She developed a keen interest in photography in the 1880s when her children were young, so her first subjects included family and friends, and the area around Lucan, County Dublin. Soon Jane began to take her camera around Ireland, capturing aspects of Irish life often missed by other photographers. Her favoured subjects included inland waterways and industrial buildings, the Aran Islands, the west of Ireland and Irish antiquities. By the end of her life Jane had become one of the most prolific Irish photographers of her time. For the first time in over a century, Jane Shackleton’s remarkable photographs, and her skills and achievements, can be fully appreciated by all.