Martin Parr’s lesser-known work in rural Ireland goes on show in London

Martin Parr (1952-2025) was a keen supporter of The Photographer’s Gallery in London, a relationship that began with his first solo show at the venue in 1977, ‘Hebden Bridge and Beauty Spots’.

During the last year of his life, Parr and the gallery worked together to plan an exhibition focusing on the works he made in rural Ireland in the early 1980s, a collection the photographer felt had not been shown widely.

The series, A Fair Day, was Parr’s last major project in black and white, before he moved into the distinctive bold colours and hyper-realistic style debuted in 1986’s The Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton. It depicted the lives of working Britons under Margaret Thatcher, and established his own unique form of social documentary.

The humour and playfulness glimpsed in this lesser-known series embodies Parr’s typically sharp eye. His capturing of ‘fair days’ – the times communities gathered for trade or entertaining, or to mark religious events – shows a society in flux, caught between traditional rituals and a burgeoning modernisation.

In the photographs, dance halls and cattle trading are historical foils for modern new buildings and plastic cups. Timeless, bleak landscapes are spiked with TV aerials; elsewhere, village halls are dominated by 1980s fashion. As always, Parr finds the humanity in everyday moments.

‘Martin Parr: A Fair Day’ from 9 February to 19 April 2026 at The Photographers' Gallery, thephotographersgallery.org.uk