This article was written by Leo McMahon and published by The Southern Star.

The exhibition, which in particular features the Blasket and Skellig islands, was launched on April 30th by Padraig Kennelly, a photographer for over 50 years who established the newspaper Kerry’s Eye in Tralee in 1974. ‘My images are printed on Hahnemuhle smooth fine art paper using pigment ink to deliver the highest quality image. This acidfree media provides long-term stability. The prints maintain colour integrity and resist fading for generations,’ said Sheena.

‘Marina Cassidy and I have been working together and at the opening we produced slideshows of my images to match four pieces of harp music played by Marina, who is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s finest exponents of solo performance with voice and harp. She has won many awards, most notably the Irish Vocal Heritage Award 2000.’

Sheena Jolley was born in Wicklow, Ireland. Between 1999 and 2001 she studied photography full time at North Oxfordshire College of Art thus combining her creative talents with her knowledge and love of nature. She is dedicated to capturing images of the indigenous wildlife of Ireland and in particular its islands. With the islands becoming more popular and easily accessible by organised boat trips, she hopes to increase the awareness and appreciation of our natural world.

‘The best way to preserve a thing of beauty is to hold the attention of the viewer and encourage a feeling of wonder and nurture,’ says Sheena. Her work therefore involves tight close-ups as well as a study of animals in their environment. It is music for the eyes.

Her work has been purchased by collectors in Europe and America and has featured many times in a number of national publications and last year, one of her photographs made it to the finals of the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. As well as photographing wildlife, Sheena has been involved in photographing a suppressed community in the West Indies. These are the forgotten descendants of Irish and Scottish people shipped to Barbados as slaves more than 300 years ago. With compassion and sensitivity she has managed to give an identity and dignity to a poverty-stricken community living on the edge of society. Her work and provocative images also feature in a documentary shown on both Irish and Scottish television in 2009 and 2010.