A new book featuring over 150 previously unseen images charting life on the Falls from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s will be launched this Friday.
The images, by the renowned photographer Bill Kirk, come from a huge cache of black and white negatives he only recently printed off.
They reveal the devastation during the early days of the conflict, protests, the rebuilding of Bombay Street, the night life in the pubs and the kids in the street.
And the book is topped and tailed by images of Mickey Marley and his horse drawn roundabout, whom Bill caught on one of his first visits to the Falls in 1966 and again in 1983.
The book, simply titled The Falls, features 163 photographs taken during his visits to the area over the 17-year period.
“These captivating images offer a unique glimpse into the history of the Falls,” said Frankie Quinn of the Belfast Archive Project, which is organising the launch of the book, part of its Heritage Community Engagement Day on Friday.
The project is heading a Research, Interpretation, and Exhibition of a Shared Photographic Archive initiative, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
People are invited to bring along old photographs, newspaper clippings or other materials that hold personal significance. These will be scanned and added to the community archive for future generations.
The event will take place on Friday April 5 at St Comgall’s from 11 am to 1 pm.
Bill Kirk was drawn to photography after being made redundant as a draughtsman at Shorts. He studied at Belfast’s Art College. In his own words, he was driven “by a naïve belief that photography could make a difference”.
“There was a lot of anxiety; everybody was anxious. We were in a fog, not knowing where we were going,” he said of the early days of the conflict.
