A popular Killarney woman, firmly established as one of the best-known press photographers in the country during a long and successful career, is about to pack away her zoom lens and retire after 43 years in the thick of the action.
Michelle Cooper Galvin has been a very familiar face at so many events down through the years, with her day-to-day schedule including breaking news stories, sporting fixtures, family and community celebrations, tragedies, general and local elections, weddings, funerals and so much more and she was always one of the first to arrive at happenings of significance to get the images she needed to tell the stories.
Having started out with the Cork Examiner in 1976, Michelle soon moved home to Kerry and she has been a mainstay with The Kerryman over the decades, scooping several awards for the quality of her work.
She always possessed an uncanny ability of being in the right place at the right time and, during her years behind the lens, she has captured top notch snapshots of presidents and royalty, taoisigh and movie stars, visiting VIPs and world famous celebrities.
Michelle has worked on happy stories and sad, capturing the happy scenes at family events like communions, confirmations and weddings but also attending crime and accident scenes to photograph the harrowing aftermath of a life lost or ruined.
One of her favourite’s stomping grounds down through the years has been Fitzgerald Stadium where she was a familiar figure patrolling the sideline, capturing the action as it unfolded but still scanning the packed stand or terraces to spot a face in the crowd, a cheering fan or a grimacing supporter of the losing side.
Michelle’s great body of work will be remembered by different people for different reasons but, perhaps, her most iconic image was that of former Taoiseach Charles J Haughey up close and personal and quaffing champagne with his very close friend, gossip columnist Terry Keane, at the official opening of the Sheen Falls Hotel in Kenmare in 1991. It is believed to have been the only photograph of the pair together available to the press.
Michelle also captured a famous shot of Kerry manager Jack O’Connor, after the 2006 All-Ireland final victory, walking along a bohereen near his south Kerry home with the Sam Maguire cup in one hand and holding his jacket over his head to protect himself from the driving wind and rain.
Michelle and her husband, Dermot, have a son and two daughters and three grandchildren. Son Diarmuid has followed in his mother’s footsteps and is a freelance camera operator working predominantly with World Rugby, Caoimhe is a deputy principal in a school in Cork and Grainne, who lives in Dublin, is the managing director of a global food business.
Although she is retiring from press work, Michelle will always have a camera close to hand but she intends spending more time travelling, walking and relaxing now that she is no longer on call all hours of the day and night.
Killarney Municipal District Council has been asked to host a civic reception in Michelle’s honour at the request of Cllr Niall Kelleher.
“She has enjoyed a remarkable career and her dedication and passion for her work was an example to us all,” he said.
“Michelle has captured the life and times of the county in her own unique way and, through her work, she kept us all informed on what was happening in Kerry with wonderful consistency every week of the year,” Cllr Kelleher stated.
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