Art takes residents of Cork's St Luke’s Home down memory lane

A new art installation, celebrating place, memory, and connection, has been unveiled at St Luke’s Home in Blackrock.

Artist Sue Nelson’s 15 photographs explore the beauty and character of Cork, past and present.

Each artwork invites residents, families, and staff to “pause, reflect, and reconnect with Cork as they knew it, with shared experiences, and with one another”, a spokesperson for St Luke’s Home & Charity said.

“From familiar city streets to coastal views shaped by time, these images are designed to spark recognition, memories, storytelling, and gentle moments of joy,” the spokesperson said.

Based on extensive dementia research, the installation promotes reminiscence among the residents of the home, with studies showing that recall of past experiences through familiar prompts, such as photographs, can enhance wellbeing.

“It can help improve mood, stimulate conversation, and strengthen emotional bonds between individuals,” the spokesperson said of the exhibit.

“Research also indicates that reminiscence-based interventions may support communication, cognition, and overall quality of life for those living with dementia.”

Ms Nelson said that this installation “embraces these insights, transforming corridors in to spaces of connection rather than transition”.

“Here, a photograph is not just an image, it is a doorway,” said Ms Nelson. “A doorway to a story, a memory, a laugh shared, or a moment rediscovered.”

The collection was unveiled recently at a special event by two of the home’s centenarian residents, Helen Baker, who is 102, and Noelle Newenham, who is 100.

CEO of St Luke’s Home & Charity, Tony O’Brien, said the aim is that these works will “spark meaningful conversations between residents, caregivers, and among visiting families and friends”.

“We hope that they will bring moments of recognition, a smile of familiarity, a shared laugh, or simply a quiet sense of comfort,” said Mr O’Brien.

“This installation stands as a gentle reminder that within every person living with dementia is a lifetime of stories, and, sometimes, all it takes is the right image to bring them back in to the light.”

St Luke’s Home is a voluntary, not-for-profit charity, that has been delivering dementia care, education, training, and research to the people of Cork for more than 150 years.

St Luke’s, Ireland’s oldest residential care home, caters to 128 residents and up to 100 daycare clients each week, many of whom have dementia.

In Ireland, 64,000 people have dementia, with this number expected to have more than doubled, to 150,000, by 2045, according to the Health Service Executive.