The last decades of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th were a period of epochal change and disruption in Ireland.

The death and diaspora of the Great Hunger was followed by the agrarian unrest and evictions of the Land War and an intensifying campaign for Irish Home Rule.

Much of this history was captured on glass plates, as photographic technology advanced and propagated around the country.

These images from the National Library of Ireland capture a broad portrait of the Irish people in the years leading up to its secession from the United Kingdom, from the monied landlords and urban professionals to the farmers and fisherfolk who harvested the isle’s bounty.