So this happened. It was a very great pleasure to tour
@CrawfordArtGall
’s beautiful collection with HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall this evening. Nice discussion of works by James Barry, Daniel Maclise, Edith Somerville, Seán Keating, and Victoria Russell.
Their Royal Highnesses tour
@CrawfordArtGall
and are shown both historical and contemporary artworks in the collection.
Parts of the building itself date back to the early 18th century.
#RoyalVisitIreland
Éibhear Walshe (1962-2024)
Unbearably sad to hear of the death of such a wonderful man. Over the span of 22 years, he was my lecturer, supervisor, mentor, and friend. A brilliant writer and teacher, he was matter of fact, supportive, and gleefully funny. I will miss him dearly.
If you’re curious about the source for Spicebag / Mála Spíosraí’s image, it’s The Eviction (attributed to Daniel Macdonald)
@CrawfordArtGall
, which is currently on display in Behind the Scenes until 10 April.
Probably should have bought some plants before the lockdown, because I’ve begun putting manners on this garden and I will not stop until it’s a paradise befitting *that* view! Bare bones just yet but already brimming with possibilities. Bliss.
Why precisely would a private members organisation even get a look in at taking a portion of a public park in a city that has precious few green/soft spaces?
Significantly, the development area for the planned access to the Freemansons' lodge is greater than the footprint of the stairs and lift alone.
It includes a zig-zagging ramped area within the park to access the new entrance, shown as visualisations in the planning application.
So sad to watch the continued decline of the Bonded Warehouses. This site should be a proper civic quarter, a fully conserved riverside amenity with built in heritage value. Instead it languishes, wilfully neglected in full view of City Hall, complete with inane high-rise plan.
Been served notice on my near 5-year tenancy just weeks after the eviction ban lapsed so really heartened to learn that the Government will look into doing something… rather than actually doing something. Absolutely shambolic.
The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has indicated that the Government will look at financing the building of apartments where tenants would be offered affordable rents.
Gorgeous to be stopped in my tracks today by an otter feasting on an eel (or maybe a sea lamprey?) on the Lee. Our river is a haven, it defines and distinguishes the city. Let’s love it 🥰
Our libraries are places of thought, knowledge, learning, and sharing. This fixation by some on specific holdings is nothing short of pathological. If it’s not for you then don’t read it, but do not impose your choice on someone else or abuse staff.
‘A terrible beauty is born.’
Mise Éire is open
@CrawfordArtGall
from tomorrow morning. Yeats, Joyce, Jellett, Swanzy, Lavery, Duffy, Markievicz, McWilliam.... Go!
Thanks to Kathryn, Cathal, Abbey, and all the team. Much love!
Lights out. I’ve never known a time when
@CrawfordArtGall
was closed for more than a few days.
Let’s hope that national measures are effective and that our beloved civic spaces can reopen in a few weeks.
Until then, we will continue plans and work to brighten things online! ✨
Looking upriver along Merchant’s Quay, Cork in 1905.
A fascinating photo found amongst family (Queen’s Hotel) papers showing an active and open quayside focused on people, goods, and commerce.
The French barque Belem berthed in Cork is truly a sight for sore eyes.
A potent reminder of the untapped potential of the Bonded Warehouses as a living maritime heritage destination. They deserve and demand an ambitious civic vision to secure their future and honour their past.
Loving watching Shane O’Driscoll and Peter Martin’s
@ArduStreetArt
collab taking shape on Falvey’s Corner (Bridge Street and Coburg Street). A fitting nod to Tomás MacCurtain 🎻
The clutter of street furniture and Luas Cross City paraphernalia around monuments in
#Dublin
is nothing short of astonishing. Even O’Connell is besieged by a plethora of obscuring accessories. Are we stuck with all of it?
👷Bishop Lucey Park will close to the public from Wednesday 6 December, to facilitate enabling works ahead of the redevelopment of the Park, starting in early 2024.
➡️Read more about the renewal works here:
A bit of a modernist miracle from the Free State years, Church of Christ the King in Turner’s Cross was designed by Barry Byrne and completed in 1931. John Storrs’ sculpture of Christ (carved by John Maguire, who also made my great-grandparents’ headstone) is almost 6 metres tall
Maybe the ‘hyper-sensitive “woke” opponents of imperialism and colonialism’ McDowell describes are simply critical thinkers?
Slaves or no, the Shelbourne statues are Orientalist objects in a city with precious few depictions of named or even real women.
I am really, truly appalled at the removal of historic urban fabric and its erasure/ replacement with bland design. True, the public realm here was beyond neglected but it should be a priority for
@corkcitycouncil
and
@The_VQ_Cork
to retain and reinstate wherever possible.
For all you
#HarryClarke
fans, I’m very happy to bring you this winter warmer from
@CrawfordArtGall
.
Harry Clarke Marginalia is an online offering (in place of the annual Watercolours exhibition) that provides bitesized insights into the artist’s work.
Excited that the
@CrawfordArtGall
team is putting the final touches to
#RembrandtInPrint
!
*This is a large reproduction of a tiny etching from 1936. See Rembrandt’s original (and 49 other extraordinary works in print) from tomorrow morning!
Precious trees of Blackpool 🌳🌳🌳 I’ve quickly come to love this sweep of green and how it transforms an urban street into something calm, sheltered, inviting. I really wonder why this city struggles so hard with trees, their placement and retention. These are treasures.
Sad to hear of the great Michael Gambon’s passing. He’ll be best remembered for the series that must not be named, but I adored him in two
#ElizabethBowen
adaptations by Harold Pinter (The Heat of the Day) and John Banville (The Last September). Farewell to a gem of an actor.
Every time one of these falls to neglect, the distinctiveness of our city is diluted. Shame on those who would allow them to be lost to dereliction and demolition.
Excited to release Bad Romance, this year's
#HarryClarke
exhibition
@CrawfordArtGall
, into the wild tomorrow (a few days earlier than planned). These 26 national treasures have been in the Collection since 1924 and still hold their magical power.
The countdown is on ⏳
Only a few days until we get to share the evolution of Seán Keating’s Men of the South in the centenary exhibition, As They Must Have Been. Opens this Saturday
@CrawfordArtGall
!
More here:
Quite lovely to see the old Circuit Court/Camden Palace gaining its new lease on life but, now the scaffolding is down, it’s regrettable that the view of St Patrick’s Hill from Emmet Place is obstructed by an incoherently-clad block. No elegance, no gentility, just hotel rooms.
As redevelopment (not renovation) of Queen’s Old Castle is approved, it’s interesting to look at a historic 1848 view of its (still largely intact) interior by Robert Lowe Stopford.
Multi-million renovation of Cork’s historic Queen's Old Castle approved
Anglo-Irish writer
#ElizabethBowen
died
#onthisday
in 1973, some 50 years after she had first been published.
Few consider her within the context of the visual arts, her relationships with artists, and her opinions on art. I’ll be giving two papers this year on Bowen portraits!
Irregardless of the business motivation here, this is an incredibly cynical move by the bar group behind Chambers. Never a great, or even a good venue, its existence ensured that no alternative could thrive (i.e. Loafers) in Cork as a safe space for LGBTQ+ people. Do better.
Regardless of the reason these spaces disappear or are covered up (even if it’s just for business reasons) the underlying issue is that we lose a sense of safety and belonging. Chambers is the only queer venue in Cork, enough of the profit before people ❌
This used to be tree-lined suburbia. Pretty shocked at felling of all mature trees along Skehard Road (not in the plans issued to residents) and huge tracts of concrete footpaths. This is what heavy-handed engineering and poor communication with stakeholders looks like.
#corkcc
Unlike its late neighbour (the Green-Coat Hospital School), the 18th-century treasure Skiddy’s Almshouse endures principally thanks to a small group of people who recognised our responsibility to conserve it in the late 60s.
Completed in 1719, this year marks its tricentenary.
This great lady is back from 10am today!
Congratulations to the whole
@CrawfordArtGall
crew. No better people to create a welcoming and safe experience for visitors old and new. Beir bua!
REOPENING MONDAY!!
We can’t wait to welcome visitors back from 10am Monday 29 June. The whole team has been busy making sure that your visit will be safe and comfortable.
Here’s some new info before your visit:
#IrishMuseumsOnline
#PureCork
Some lovely finds at today’s Cork City Book Fair
@NanoNaglePlace
, including
#ElizabethBowen
delights and a timely piece in The Bell from Kate O’Brien, born in Limerick
#onthisday
in 1897.
💔 Farewell to the incomparable Angela Lansbury, a true star of stage and screen who, with such characteristic heart and exuberance, turned everything to gold. Too many exceptional, memorable performances to celebrate in one go, but here are some of my personal favourites. ✨
It was a delight to see people milling about the spaces of
@CrawfordArtGall
again today. I made a beeline for some old friends that make my heart swell.
So disappointing to see this sorry excuse for a plan getting the go ahead. We can do better for this city and we have seen the visions and ambitions, through international design competition, of what could be. Cork quite frankly deserves better.
Today, 22 February, is the 50th anniversary of
#ElizabethBowen
who died
#onthisday
in 1973. The celebrated writer’s last words (to her literary executor Spencer Curtis Brown) were “I want it published.”
🖼️
@CrawfordArtGall
’s portrait by Patrick Hennessy is on loan
@doneraileOPW
.
This is such a major loss to Cork’s food and dining (not to mention art) culture. We’re really at a tipping point for the sector and the Government needs to step in without delay.
Cork restaurant Nash 19 to close: 'I can't believe it has come to this'
Breathe.
It’s hard not to absorb other people’s stresses right now, and keep your own anxiety at bay. Also a bit weird checking in with how your body is feeling multiple times a day.
May you live in interesting times, indeed... Be safe and well all, we’ll muddle through.
Deeply, deeply sad to lose any part of this church, which has functioned as such since 1717. Among the oldest building’s in Cork that still operates as intended, it has associations with Daniel Maclise, Thomas Dix Hincks and William Hincks, Richard Dowden, and even Fr Mathew.
@KellyQuilt
This cat’s visitations (and demands) have brought a smile all through this year. I nicknamed her Meowra Rose (aka Not My Cat) and suspected she was pregnant. One day she appeared wearing a collar with contact details on it. His name is Basil and he’s a well-fed tomcat.
All
#Cork
life takes place ‘under the goldie fish,’ as
@ConalCreedon
might say. A very happy tercentenary
@StAnnesShandon
, elegantly watching over the city on the Lee for 300 years (and counting!). Here’s a lovely print view of its steeple by Laurence Hutson.
Absolutely blown away by the huge turnout for today’s Crawford Uncovered tour
@CrawfordArtGall
as part of
#CorkHeritage
Open Day. Thanks to all 68 of you who joined me!
I’ll be doing another free tour at 2pm Sunday if you’re in need of cultural distractions! 📷
@corkheritage
Preventing access to library services is despicable. Those effectively creating a barricade with a banner move beyond peaceful protest. It is attempted censorship, patriarchal and wrong.
The City Library was forced to close today due to public safety concerns.
As part of a protest on Grand Parade a banner was mounted across the entrance without permission.
Please find below a statement from Cork City Libraries:
Éibhear’s contribution to Irish Studies, to our understanding of Bowen, O’Brien, Tóibín, and Wilde, is matched by his work in memoir, historical novels, and new books just completed.
My condolences and love to Saul, Éibhear’s mum and family, and circle of friends and colleagues.
A truly spectacular addition to the Collection. So excited to share The Colloquy of Monos and Una (1923) by
#HarryClarke
with
@CrawfordArtGall
visitors from tomorrow afternoon 🥹
Crawford Art Gallery in Cork acquires major Harry Clarke piece
Cute grey wagtail (I think) flitting about her business at South Gate Bridge. She appears to have a young’un to feed. Beautifully diverting sight in the heart of the city. We need to think of the river as habitat not hindrance.
Delighted that
@IrishRainforest
is conserving Dreamline by Séamus Murphy, a Portland-stone beauty made in 1934 following the sculptor’s
#GibsonBequest
scholarship to Paris.
A lesson for Cork and the Bonded Warehouses. It is beyond obvious that the plans for a high-rise development at Custom House Quay cannot proceed. The old Port of Cork site ought to be a people-focused civic and cultural space. The city needs to embrace a non-developer-led vision.
📌Αποκατάσταση και απόδοση χρήσεων των Νεωρίων στα Χανιά
➡️Λίνα Μενδώνη «Αποδίδεται στο κοινό, με νέες ευέλικτες χρήσεις, και χώρους που έχουν μείνει ανενεργοί, στο σύνολό τους.»
🔗
#MinCultureGR
#Νεώρια #Χανιά
Very cool to have Rembrandt watching over St Patrick’s Street right now. Full of astonishing detail and arresting images,
#RembrandtInPrint
is well worth a visit (or five!) to
@CrawfordArtGall
In the swirl of today’s other excitement, two little shows softly opened
@CrawfordArtGall
. Do pop in to see Patrick Scott: meditations and Edith Somerville: observations between now and 5 December.
If you go down to
@CrawfordArtGall
today, there’s a little LGBTQ+ Gallery Trail for you to follow: a self-directed activity linking 9 artworks until 5 September.
We’d love to know what you think + where we might continue to develop / improve it. Happy
#CorkPride2021
!
@corkpride
I am so excited to share this new exhibition
@CrawfordArtGall
. Dreaming in Blue: Harry Clarke Watercolours is nearly ready to welcome everyone in for Christmas! (I only hope it’s half as magical as this video.)
#HarryClarke
#Cork
If Cork could solve its car problem (parking and traffic) and invest properly in quarters like Shandon… Wow, what a city it could be. Waterford and Kilkenny are ‘streets ahead’
Elizabeth Corbet 'Lolly' Yeats (1868-1940) was a person of many talents - an educator, designer, landscape painter, printer, and a founding member of the Dun Emer Guild.
Our Object of the Day is a delicate folding fan that she hand-painted using watercolours in 1905.
Silent streets... it’s all a bit ‘opening scene of Vanilla Sky’, but the silver lining is clean, uncluttered lines and glimpses of sculpture, from Barry Moloney’s The Echo Boy to Janet Mullarney, John Hogan, and even Michelangelo in
@CrawfordArtGall
’s Half Moon Street window.
Antonio Canova was born
#onthisday
in 1757. I pinch myself nearly every day because I get to work so closely with his (unexpected) legacy in Ireland:
@CrawfordArtGall
’s collection of
#CanovaCasts
, including Venus Italica and Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte.
#RecastingCanova
To all of the healthcare workers and other frontline people, go raibh míle míle míle maith agaibh!
Also thinking of those who are ill or who have lost a loved one this night.
#LonraighdoSholas
#ShineYourLight
A sight for sore eyes on my last day before some annual leave: two beautiful long-term loans – Convalescence (1885) by John Lavery and William Orpen’s The Blue Hat (1912) – have been placed on display
@CrawfordArtGall
. They’ll have great chats now across the staircase!
It’s sad to see the city’s historic spine teetering on the edge. No major public realm investment in two decades, congested, and only courageous traders keeping it alive. This could be our Temple Bar (without excessive Stag/Hen parties)
#Cork
What a delight to see these elegant lamps retaking their rightful place on Patrick’s Bridge! Kudos to JCA and
@corkcitycouncil
for reclaiming and conserving an essential part of our riverine architecture and design heritage. Lots of further potential too.
#Cork