How to upload photos from external drive to photo library

I have a few years worth of iPhone photos that were taken before automatic upload became a thing and they are stored on an old MacBook Air that can no longer connect to wifi. I also have a copy on an external storage drive. Since my Mac is beyond repair and I’ve had to switch to pc, how can I upload the photos to my photo library? Is it possible to connect an iPad to the external drive and do it that way?

thank you in advance for your help!