We Are Living Nostalgia

Frank Clarke by Jack Clarke

aving been tickled rainbow by Colin Doyle’s recent colourisation of old Greystones pics, the work of Gary O’Brien caught our attention this weekend.

Not only does the man add some colour to the cheeks of those old black & whites, he’s also a sucker for this new Deep Nostalgia craze.

Derek Ferns

Wherein old portraits are morphed into moving images with a simple Frankenstein click of a mouse.

As amazing as this new technology undoubtedly is, we really can’t make up our minds about it.

The angelic Pat Mooney

Occasionally, it is magical but, more often than not, it’s all a bit Polar Express. Where everyone has the cold dead eyes of a killer.

And the complexion of Tom Waits.

Gary O’Brien

Still, fair fecks to the bould Gary for transforming a bunch of archive shots here. Having moved from his native Ballyfermot to Australia 6 years ago, the recent lockdown saw the O’Brien lad turning his skills to colourisation, tackling old Irish landmarks and landscapes, his Facebook page, Prepare To Be Colorized, quickly growing from 20 people in December 2020 to over 2,600 today.

The gun-slingin’ Brendan Hayden

“I am blessed and privileged that people trust me with these beautiful pictures of their loved ones,” says Gary, “and it’s a real joy to transform such precious images for them. It can be through the colourisation or the moving portrait, and the results are often truly amazing. I just love Irish history, and being able to bring some of it back to life is a real thrill…”

Darn tootin’.

You can join Gary’s Facebook group page here or get in touch directly by emailing here. Now, jump aboard our technicolour dreamboat…

Tommy Grealy & Leslie Spurling

Round that Killincarrig bend

Kilcoole Railway Station 1950s

Killincarrig’s Brendan Hayden

Master boat builder Willie Redmond

Joe Sweeney’s grandparents, Mr & Mrs Kelly

The bould Bob Mooney

Liam Byrne, before the pubs…

The Notorious Hurley Brothers

Newcastle Main Street 1955

Church Road 1950s

Delgany Main Street last Tuesday

Derek Paine by Jack Clarke, colourised by Gary O’Brien

First published March 2021. Young Gary’s Facebook page is here and his email here. Meanwhile, Colin Doyle’s colourised gallery is here, and you can try that Deep Nostalgia yourself here.