Over the past few years I have become a big fan of John Hinde’s photos. His postcards are now regarded as classics by photographers and non alike. He shot most of his postcards during the 60’s and portrayed Ireland as being perpetually sunny.  The trademark of his work seems to lie in the post production process. He would develop deep saturated bold colours. Most of his pictures also featured some central red. I was amazed to find a post card he shot of Castle St, Roscrea (my hometown). I never knew this existed until about a year ago when I found this postcard by accident.

Looking at the vehicles, I would date this shot around the late 60’s or early 70’s.  On the right hand side of the street, you can see the Pathé hotel. This existed right through my own teens and twenties and many’s a night we went to gigs in there. It was bought and turned into Grant’s hotel in the 90’s and was never quite the same. It has since gone through a few owners afaik and has turned into a typical small town hotel, in other words, not a very nice place. To the left is Christy Maher’s bar (this side of the castle). Christy ran this bar up until a few years ago. I was a Bus Eireann stop and information point. It has been closed now for a few years but still exists in a similar state. I wonder who the three girls crossing the street are? They appear to know they are being photographed and were more than likely locals who were asked to participate in the picture. If you watch Cartaí Phoist on TG4, that show uses celebs to recreate Hindes cards and we get to meet many of the people who were originally asked to participate in the photos in this manner. These girls probably still exist round the Roscrea hinterland. Notice a man walking towards us on the lower right side in a bold purple shirt. This may be an example of the Hinde studio post production process exaggerating colour. Also notice the red van and red VW Beetle. These are part of the Hinde signature.

If you look a little further up the street, just before the Pathé hotel, there is a postman half hidden by a metal telegraph post (at least I think it’s a postman). Further up the street a woman pushes a pram and a little boy turns around and looks at us; more evidence that the photographer was overtly obvious. Right in the bottom centre of the picture, there are some people driving towards us in a blue car. We can’t make out their faces as its a little dark which adds somewhat to the fascination. There are some stunning looking cars in the shot particularly up the right side of the street. I may be wrong but I think the shop up on the top left of the street is Mr. Egars which is a shop name I have vague memories of.

I love this picture. The street looks happy, lively and atmospheric. I’d like to have been there on that street that day. I can imagine walking down there in the sunshine and summer breeze, meeting friends, chatting and whatever.  Hinde shows us Roscrea as a sunny happy place as only he could. In reality we all remember lots of rain and grey and drudgery but Hinde makes us remember only our summer days walking down Castle street – magic!