John Minihan

John Minihan was born in Dublin in 1946 and raised in Athy, Co. Kildare. At the age of 12, he was brought to live in London and went on to become an apprentice photographer with the Daily Mail. At 21 years old, he became the youngest staff photographer for the Evening Standard. For thirty years, he remained in London, returning every year to his hometown of Athy to record the people and their daily lives. His photographs of Athy have been exhibited throughout the world. He was given the Freedom of Athy in 1990.

In between documenting Athy on visits home, Minihan continued his career on Fleet Street, which included the iconic snap of a 19 year old Lady Diana Spencer in the garden of the nursey she worked at, the morning sun to her back, her legs in silhouette through her skirt. He was one of the few photojournalists, at the time, who prioritised integrity over getting a front-page worthy shot and this is what eventually led to his departure from Fleet Street.

Over the years, Minihan developed a close relationship with many writers and his photographs of Samuel Beckett show a particular affinity between the two men. William Burroughs once referred to Minihan as “a painless photographer”. His friendship with Samuel Beckett produced some of the most remarkable photographs ever taken of the writer.

Among his numerous photographic publications are Photographs: Samuel Beckett (1995), Shadows from the Pale: Portrait of an Irish Town (1996) and An Unweaving of Rainbows, Images of Irish Writers (1996). Minihan’s many exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world include the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, 1984; Centre George Pompidou, Paris 1986; the National Portrait Gallery, London 1987/8 and the October Gallery, London 1990 as well as the Guinness Hop Store, Dublin 1991.