There's a quiet kind of courage in feeding your baby in public for the first time. The slightly held breath as you latch on in a café or a park, wondering if anyone will stare. Most of the time, nobody does. But the worry is real — and it's something thousands of Irish mothers know intimately. This August, a beautiful new photography exhibition coming to Co. Offaly is set to do something about that.
'Milk and Motherhood' is a photography exhibition celebrating breastfeeding mothers across the county, and it will form part of this year's Birr Vintage Week. Captured by local photographer Alex Lazorenko and organised in collaboration with Cuidiú Offaly, the local branch of the national breastfeeding and parenting support charity, the exhibition promises to be as moving as it is meaningful.
What to expect
The exhibition will run at Birr Methodist Church over the August Bank Holiday weekend — specifically on Saturday 1st August and Monday 3rd August from 11am to 5pm, and on Tuesday 4th August from 11am to 1pm. Entry is open to the public.
Each photograph in the exhibition features a mother and baby captured in an intimate, natural moment. Alongside every portrait is a personal story written by the mother herself, reflecting on the people, the places and the specific moments of support that helped shape her breastfeeding journey. It's the kind of thing that will stop you in your tracks — the sort of quiet, human storytelling that doesn't need much dressing up.
Printing and presentation for the exhibition were generously sponsored by Fivealley businesswoman Lisa Dooley of The Factory, who is also an active member of Cuidiú Offaly alongside photographer Alex Lazorenko.
Why this matters
Cuidiú Offaly Chairperson Jasmine Elkhershi puts it simply and powerfully: "Although breastfeeding in public is protected by law, many mothers still feel hesitant the first time they feed their baby outside the home. One of the hopes of this exhibition is to help normalise breastfeeding by making visible what has always been both natural and deeply human: a parent responding to their child's need for nourishment, comfort and connection."
It's a sentiment that will resonate with any mother who has ever draped a muslin over herself in a restaurant, or quietly retreated to a changing room to feed. Visibility matters. Representation matters. And that's exactly what this exhibition is setting out to provide.
What's particularly striking about Offaly's story is how much the county has transformed. Historically, breastfeeding wasn't the norm there. But through the sustained and determined work of groups like Cuidiú Offaly and the Banagher Breastfeeding Group, the picture has changed dramatically. Offaly has since been celebrated for having some of the highest breastfeeding rates in Ireland, with breastfeeding rates in Offaly and Laois increasing by 6.1% between 2024 and 2025. Almost three in five babies — 58.1% of three-month-olds — are now being either exclusively or partially breastfed in the region.
The drop-off rate for non-exclusive breastfeeding between a baby's first Public Health Nurse visit and the three-month visit is just 3.85% in Offaly and Laois, compared to a national rate of 5.7%. For exclusive breastfeeding, that figure is an extraordinary 0.4% between birth and three months. Those aren't just statistics — they represent real mothers, real babies and real communities showing up for each other.
The community behind it all
Many of the mothers featured in 'Milk and Motherhood' are the first in their families to breastfeed in several generations. A good number of them have since gone on to support friends and relatives through their own feeding journeys — that ripple effect of community and kindness that anyone who has ever leaned on another mum will recognise immediately.
Cuidiú Offaly's trained Breastfeeding Counsellors offer free support in person, by phone and through a WhatsApp group of over 160 members. For meeting dates and more information you can find them on social media at @cuidiuoffaly.
Whether you're a breastfeeding mother yourself, someone who's thinking about it, or simply someone who believes that mothers deserve a little more ease in the world, this exhibition is worth a visit if you're anywhere near Birr this August Bank Holiday weekend.
