Irish Photo Archive

The Lensmen Collection, licensed to Irish Photo Archive, is a unique collection of almost 3.5 million old Irish photos and historical images and offers a fascinating insight into Irish life over the last six decades.

The Lensmen Photographic Agency was established by Andrew Farren and Padraig MacBrian in Dublin in 1952, and quickly became Ireland's premier photographic agency. The company was bought by Susan Kennedy in 1995. Over six decades Lensmen has captured the essense of Irish life with stunning and thought-provoking photography.

The lensmen collection offers a unique insight into the political, cultural and everyday events of life in Ireland over six decades, and showcases an era of major change and the emergence of modern Ireland.

Our mission is to preserve this unique and historically important collection of old Irish photos for future generations. Any proceeds from sales of prints and digital copies are re-invested into the development of Irish photo Archive helping to ensure the preservation of these images for posterity.

If there is a specific image you are looking for and you think we may have it, send an Email to info@irishphotoarchive.ie and we will research it for you.