An exhibition of photographs by an Irish photographer chronicling the devastation faced by the people of Pakistan was opened in Tralee, Co Kerry, at the weekend by the Pakistani ambassador, Toheed Ahmad.
Documentary photographer and writer Eileen O'Leary entitled her exhibition "Inshalla - with the Will of God" and hopes it will encourage extra donations to the relief effort in northern Pakistan.
O'Leary said she was celebrating her father's 85th birthday in Tralee on October 8th last when news of the earthquake in Pakistan and India broke.
"At that stage we had little idea of the enormity of the devastation and loss of lives that people were facing. Thirty seconds of seismic activity resulted in the death of over 80,000 and 3.5 million displaced people."
She felt the earthquake was receiving little media coverage in comparison to the southeast Asia tsunami and she decided to travel to the affected area to photograph the devastation.
"All the people I met had lost at least one family member - some young people and children now have no family members left," O'Leary said. "In Balakot, I stood on the flattened site of what was a school, where 600 people were killed."
