The Front Row: painting an island

“It was a joy to research, a bit of a ‘divil’ to write, a monster to edit and a joy, once more, to talk about ‘post-partum’.”

These are the words of Mary J Murphy, the Menlough, Co Galway-born author. She is speaking about her fourth book, Achill Painters – An Island History, a near 300-page volume which she acclaims as “the work achievement of my life”. This is quite a recommendation in itself, given that her previous work includes the much-praised Achill’s Eva O’Flaherty – Forgotten Island Heroine.

What is especially appealing about the new book is its broad appeal. Produced locally by Knockma Publishing in Caherlistrane, it is liberally peppered with colour images of people, places and works of art. The audience for it is going to stretch well beyond anyone interested in art. If you have a love for the west of Ireland, and Achill in particular, you will find this a rewarding experience.

Last month, a painting of Connemara by Paul Henry set a new world record for one of his works at a Dublin auction house, selling for €420,000. Entitled Sunny Day Connemara, this oil painting fetched well above its guide price of between €150,000 and €250,000. The sale came 101 years after Henry left Achill and the artist was especially well-known for his depiction of the west of Ireland landscape.

I wanted to try and find out what was the draw of the place, for men and women alike

In Achill Painters – An Island History, Mary J Murphy has, for the very first time, attempted to gather the names, and record the lives, of the many scores of artists who have painted on the island. She starts with William Evans in the 1830s. He was the painting master at Eton College in England.

Explaining her raison d’être for writing the book, Mary says: “I wanted to try and find out what was the draw of the place, for men and women alike, and why were so many creatives seduced by the place, and still are. It is a ‘potted’ history of Achill too, every word of it written here on the island. It was almost impossible to get it over the line during a pandemic, but I am proud to have done so.”

Intended for a general readership, the book explores the island’s gloriously rich artistic past, and while it is anchored in serious research, Mary delivers this with a light touch, making it very readable. It is also presented in a way that you can dip in and out of it, making it the perfect companion for an evening.

Belgian-born expressionist Marie Howet was well-known throughout Europe. She had her only exhibition in Dublin in 1934 and died half a century later, two years after making her final trip to this country. She knew George Bernard Shaw, was praised by Matisse, and was admired by Derek Hill, Padraic Colum and Nano Reid. Mary J Murphy’s book provides, among many such gems, an in-depth examination of Howet’s 1934 masterpiece, A La Source D’Ara.

Percy French, himself an Achill painter, called the place “the island of my dreams”. Find out why in Mary J Murphy’s newest work. It is available online from Kenny’s and Charlie Byrne’s bookshops in Galway. Buy Irish.

Over the years, Achill has welcomed such as Alexander Williams, Edward Nangle, Sarah Purser, Robert Henri, Lady Butler, Marie Howet (who enjoyed a 53-year love affair with Achill), Padraic Colum, Hilda Roberts, Sean Keating, Sean O’Sullivan, Estella Solomons, Grace Henry, Letitia and Eva Hamilton, Anne Yeats, Dairine Vanston, Micheal de Burca, Charles Lambe, Stella Frost, Mainie Jellett, Evie Hone, Nano Reid, Graham Greene, Derek Hill, Louis le Brocquy, Roger Shackleton (nephew of Ernest), John Healy, Desmond Turner.

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