The incredible photographic collection of a family and community, which has been unseen for over a century, is the subject of a new 30-minute factual TV documentary.
Once believed lost, the images were taken by Mary Alice Young, a pioneering Ulster-Scots photographer, and now her family is delving into her past to examine her extraordinary legacy.
Galgorm Castle in Ballymena was a much-loved home to Mary Alice Young. Born in 1867, she was a member of a well-known, wealthy Co. Antrim family.
Read more: BBC Northern Ireland unveils new Season of Arts on iPlayer
Mary Alice’s interest in photography started in her early 20’s. She had the resources to fund what started as a fashionable hobby - but she quickly developed a flair for taking compelling images.
Alongside the quality of her photographs, Mary Alice’s work has also attracted the attention of historians interested in culture and identity in Ulster.
Her photographic collection is an intriguing record of everyday life, with intimate family photographs and artistically inspired images, but her camera also caught a glimpse of a period of turmoil.
Photographs taken during the Home Rule crisis show members of her family training with the Ulster Volunteer Force. Mary Alice’s husband Willy was involved in the dramatic smuggling of arms and ammunitions into Larne to equip a Unionist force determined to resist Home Rule.
The unique collection of over 1000 photographic images were rediscovered in the Public Record Office in Belfast, among other items bequeathed there for safe keeping years ago by Mary Alice’s family.
Now her great-grandson, Christopher Brooke, is building a fuller picture of his great grandmother’s life. The lost photos were captured on delicate glass plates and time has taken its toll on much of the collection, bringing many challenges as a specialist team attempts to preserve the images for future generations.
Working in collaboration with PRONI, Christopher witnesses how Mary Alice’s collection is being carefully restored and brought back to life. A selection of Mary Alice’s photographs is being chosen by Christopher’s family and members of the Public Records team to be revealed to the public for the first time in over 100 years.
Viewers of The Lost Photographs Of Mary Alice Young, part of BBC Northern Ireland’s new Season Of Arts, will follow this unique and intricate process through to the final exhibition at the Braid Centre, where the community will be able to witness the lives of this important Ulster Scots family and the remarkable work of Mary Alice Young.
Producer Stephen Watson said: “The Lost Photographs of Mary Alice Young is not just a family photo album. It is a rich and textured piece of visual and social history of an important Ulster Scots family, as captured through the eyes of a remarkable and pioneering woman.”
The Lost Photographs of Mary Alice Young will be broadcast this Sunday, 29 January on BBC Two Northern Ireland at 7.30pm and is also available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
READ NEXT:
BBC Radio 4 investigates "astonishing crime" at Derry's Mobuoy dump
New BBC documentary to share first-hand stories of NI's "Hooded Men"
Line Of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar leaves crowd all shook up with Elvis rendition
New documentary to look at the impact of peace walls on post-conflict generation
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
