The cliffs of Erris – where the scars run deep

Precipice is the title of Stein’s exhibition
Precipice is the title of Stein’s exhibition

Fool's Hollow, Thieving Ledge, Speckled Cliff – English translations of Irish names for north Mayo seascapes resonate with local history. Treasa Ní Ghearraigh and her husband Uinsionn MacGraith have collected placenames in the barony of Erris for a book that has inspired award-winning photographer Amelia Stein. Precipice is the title of Stein's exhibition which opened on Friday July 3rd in Dublin. Alone on the cliff with one camera and two lenses, Stein contended with wild winds and dizzy heights as she captured detail in black and white. The irony of the remote location was not lost on her, extending as it does from Sruwaddacon Estuary, where the Corrib gas pipeline has been laid through a special area of conservation and the project has seared a deep scar on the community. Precipice is at the Oliver Sears Gallery, 29 Molesworth St, Dublin 2 until July 31st.

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins is the former western and marine correspondent of The Irish Times