Thomas Joseph Gribben (1882-1959), known as Tommy, was the eldest of ten children, five boys and five girls, of Thomas and Alice Gribben, of Dunnanew, or Dinanew, in the parish of Loughinisland, County Down. They lived on what was, for the time, a comparatively substantial farm of forty acres, with a traditional thatched house and outbuildings.
Except for a short break when he worked as an inspector for the Ministry of Agriculture around Ballyclare in County Antrim, Tommy lived his life on the family farm between Seaforde and Loughinisland, from which he observed his surroundings with keen interest.
He took up photography as a young man and he created a darkroom, with much home-made equipment, in the loft of his home in Dunnanew. For the first half of the twentieth century he was the only photographer with whom most people in the Loughinisland and Seaforde areas had contact. He delighted in photographing his friends and neighbours in the course of everyday lift. People, personality, and place predominate.
There are just over 400 images taken by Thomas Gribben in our archive. They arrived in the Museum in several stages, beginning with a donation by Mr Hugh Mulholland in 1982, followed by a substantial addition from Mr James Doran, and subsequent gifts from around the locality.
A selection of Thomas Gribben’s photographs were published in the 2010 edition of the Down Survey. The publication entitled, ‘Inside Story – The Photographs of Thomas Gribben of Loughinisland’, is available from the Museum for only £8.
Some of Thomas Gribben's photographs are now also available to view online.
If you would like further information about the Thomas Gribben collection, please contact the Museum on +44 (0)330 137 4049 or email museums@nmandd.org.
