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Last week, Irish photographer Eimear Lynch launched her first photobook with a signing at Dover Street Market for Photo London, hosted by none other than Simone Rocha. A long-time champion of Eimear’s work, Simone grew up sharing many of the experiences so vividly illustrated in Girls’ Night.
Speaking on the making of the book, Eimear says: “For Girls’ Night, I travelled around Ireland to photograph teen discos, and to try and capture the anticipation of girls as they prepared for them. In a way, I wanted to relive my teenage years. I loved going to discos. I mostly loved the hours of getting ready with friends beforehand. It would take most of the day. We’d usually go straight to one of the girls’ houses after school on a Friday and spend the following 5-6 hours doing our tan, hair, and make-up together.”
There are four texts in the book, with writing from Gráinne McCullough, Marley Nolan and Eimear Lynch appearing throughout, but it’s Simone Rocha’s foreword that sets the tone. Read it in full below…
Taney disco,
Which I think was in a church —
It was almost like going to church
The equivalent, a teenage rite of passage
How ironic to have all these teenagers in a church hall
in short skirts, socks and runners looking for something…
from boys
from girls
from your parents
My first shift but I just wanted to slow dance
My head on his shoulder, him looking around
Disco lights in the church hall up a hill
meet
shift
score
kiss
A baby blue and synthetic top with a strappy open back,
Bought in St Stephen’s Green shopping centre with tight black trousers with a flare and silver kitten heel from the Harlequin
Teenage bedrooms
Ironing your hair flat on the ironing board, taking turns to do your friends
To a backdrop of music videos on MTV on tiny TVs in bedrooms,
Little small ones in red which you could put a video tape in
Outside lining up against the wall in the dark in the queue,
Then waiting for your friend’s parents to pick you up behind the petrol station
The best nights of your life
‘Girls’ Night’ by Eimear Lynch is available for purchase from IDEA now.