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The iconic photographer believed his two years shooting horse fairs, pubs and dance halls in the 1980s had been overlooked. A new exhibition aims to put that right
Above Parr … Lynotts Bar, Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland 1983Tue 17 Feb 2026 08.00 CET
O’Connell Bridge, Dublin, Ireland, 1981
Martin Parr (1952-2025) took many black and white photographs of rural Ireland in the early 1980s. The photographs show cattle trading, horse fairs, folk musicians and dance halls, alongside new buildings, abandoned Morris Minors and partygoers in 80s fashion. A Fair Day by Martin Parr can be seen at the Print Sales Gallery at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, until 19 April
Mary’s Holy Well, Killargue, County Leitrim, Ireland, 1981
At first glance, many images appear timeless, but a closer look reveals a plastic cup in the Virgin Mary’s holy well, or TV aerials creeping into a pastoral scene. This well is visited on 15 August, The Feast of Assumption, for private prayers
Glenbeigh Races, County Kerry, Ireland, 1983
Parr spent two years in Ireland creating this work, approaching his subjects with patience and a keen observational eye, while his characteristic wit ensured the images avoided cliche. A Fair Day was Parr’s last major project in black and white
Manorhamilton Sheep Fair, County Leitrim, Ireland, 1981
Fair days were occasions for communities to gather for trade, entertainment and religious observance. Many of the special events Parr photographed are still celebrated each year, preserving a strong sense of community and tradition
Mayflower Ballroom, Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, Ireland, 1983
For Parr, these gatherings were a chance to capture everyday life, showing a society in transition, where long-standing customs co-exist alongside modern global influences
Abandoned Morris Minors, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland 1981
Parr had been working with the Photographers’ Gallery throughout 2025 on plans to show A Fair Day. He felt the work had not been shown as widely as his later projects and believed it spoke to contemporary debates around community, social change and the collision of tradition and modernity
Amethyst Ballroom, Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland, 1982
Parr’s distinctive style of photography captured the oddities and humours of everyday life through a hyper-realistic lens
Mayflower Ballroom, Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, Ireland, 1983
At the beginning of the 1980s, Parr’s work aimed to mirror the lifestyle of ordinary people, reflecting the social decline and distress of the working class
Lynotts Bar, Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland, 1983
Parr earned an international reputation for his oblique approach to social documentary, and for his innovative imagery
Abandoned Morris Minors, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland, 1982
Parr was born in Surrey in 1952, and went on to study photography at Manchester Polytechnic. He exhibited his work globally, including exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, the Photographers’ Gallery, the National Centre of Photography in Paris and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
Dingle Races, County Kerry, Ireland, 1983
Prolific in his output, Parr published more than 100 books of his own work. He won many awards throughout his career, including the Royal Photographic Society’s centenary medal, Photokina’s Erich Salomon award for photojournalism and, in 2017, Sony World Photography award for outstanding contribution to photography
Puck Fair, Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland, 1981
Parr was the president of Magnum Photos between 2013 and 2017, and was one of the country’s most popular photojournalists, contributing to a wide range of printed media. He founded the Martin Parr Foundation in 2014, opening its premises in Bristol in 2017. The Foundation holds Parr’s own archive, and is a centre for talks, screenings and eventsExplore more on these topics
