A LOCAL photographer has opened a new exhibition showcasing everyday life in West Belfast during the Troubles and leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.
Seán Allen, who specialises in street photography and social documentary, walked the streets of West Belfast between 1986 and 1998 with his 35mm film camera.
His exhibition, 'Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Belfast Through My Lens 1986-98' is on display in the Falls Library until September 27.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Seán said: "It is a small collection of photos covering some political events, people in the street, inside the pubs and just really the changing face of Belfast.
"These images capture the quiet strength of ordinary people, alongside the political and news events that shaped our world.
Family members of the Birmingham Six carry a large banner calling for the release of their loved ones as they march up the Falls Road in the late 1980's.
"I am very proud of them all. When I pass away, I would like people to look back and say that was Belfast from 1986 to 1998.
"I want people to take away the changing nature of Belfast. They might see someone they knew or something they forgot about that brings a memory back.
Kid smoking top of Broadway on the Falls Road in 1987. 
"Everybody has a camera on their phone now. I would encourage people to take photos of their own area and share them. Print the images out, because our memory can only last a certain amount of time but images and videos is going to last for as long as we're able to view them. Don't underestimate a photo because it could be really special in say 20 or 30 years time.
"I feel truly honoured to have been asked by the Falls Road Library to exhibit this work in the heart of the area that shaped me."
You can follow Seán on social media 'Rambles with My Camera' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
'Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Belfast Through My Lens 1986–98, an exhibition by Seán Allen will be on display at the Falls Road Library until September 27.
