Charles de Gaulle : A Quiet Holiday
On April 27 1969, France voted against reform of the Senate and of the regions. Feeling betrayed, General de Gaulle resigned his office as President of the Republic. A few days later, on 10 May, a GLAM airplane brought the famous man, his wife and his aide de camp to Ireland, for a holiday far from the centres of power and the elections to come. Padraig and Joan Kennelly, founders of a small photographic studio in Tralee, followed in the footsteps of this noted visitor and recorded the excitement caused amongst the inhabitants of Sneem, a small village in the south west of Ireland, in County Kerry. They called their photo journal “A Quiet Holiday”.
This exhibition presents twenty-five new images from the Kennelly Archive, a selection of Irish newspaper reports, audio and video recordings of the events of May 1969, as well as the history and genealogy of the McCartan family from which De Gaulle is descended. Padraig Kennelly, now 82 years old, has also created a contemporary, colour record of the same places but as they are today.
Exhibition curated by Isabelle Galy-Aché
We are grateful for the support of the Fondation Charles de Gaulle, of the Ireland Fund of France and of the Kennelly Archive.
The exhibition will be open to the public for the Nuit européenne des musées on 14 May, between 20.00 and midnight. A lecture will be given by Pierre Joannon on 17 May at 19.30. See details below.
