His work has prompted quite a number of blogs here before.
I have yet to upload and create a separate section of the work that I have photographed on my travels.
For now and for today, a slideshow of a selection of his work.
Using signs, advertisements and messages as the inspiration for observation and comment - enlightened and otherwise
This morning’s update from Stair na hÉireann advised that on this day in 1975, Seamus Murphy died.
His work has prompted quite a number of blogs here before. I have yet to upload and create a separate section of the work that I have photographed on my travels. For now and for today, a slideshow of a selection of his work.
0 Comments
To Find Out More List The three books have provided little bits of knowledge about so many things that I need to find out more (ever connecting). I have enjoyed a pint in The Blue Bull in Sneem. It was Éamon Kelly who educated that The Blue Bull was a Synge Play. I will need to return to Gneeveguilla to photograph the plaque to Mick Sullivan who was shot by Black & Tans while Éamon Kelly was in the adjacent school – the list of Civil War and War of Independence memorials ever growing. There are many traditions that intrigued, sounded lovely or just demanded further exploring – families joined in butter; overnight fasting prior to receiving Holy Communion; family owning a church pew so those standing at back did not have funds to purchase and pay rent on pew; stopping the clock upon a death, as seen in Jean deFlorette; and the giving of a disease to another similar to leaving cloth on a rag tree at a Holy Well. It also introduced words to me, many appear derived for Irish. These will keep me going for some time. The list is below but any education as to ‘gripe’; ‘hoult’; ‘fakah’;or, ‘roiseters’ would be welcome. A Visit To The TheatreThis week I spotted that Jack Healy had a play based upon the stories of Éamon Kelly at The Cork Arts Theatre on Camden Quay.
Yesterday lunchtime was a magnificent hour spent listening, smiling, laughing and remembering. More than halfway through the show, I was reminded as to one of my flysheet notes in The Journeyman. There had been quite a few different stories. Éamon Kelly in The Journeyman was writing of ‘In My Father’s Time’ – ‘We found that a number of stories told one after the other could sound episodic. There had to be a changing relationship between the pieces, and the links had to be carefully thought out to make seamless the fabric, which we hoped would be colourful and entertaining’. My flysheet note was that the book, unlike The Apprentice which I found much more interesting, was failing to flow. Fair play to Jack Healy. With the benefit of reflection on my hour or so in the auditorium, the different aspects and stories flowed; and, the knitting of the stories was brilliant and of a manner that brought the occasion up to date. I had heard or read of a few of the stories but the delivery, verbally and with actions, made them a new experience – I laughed even when I knew the punchline. It is in the Cork Arts Theatre only until tomorrow night but is intended to travel later in the year. I do recommend.
That seed has taken some time to germinate. The growth spurt prompted by a tweet from Luke Portess as to similar bedfellows in Glasnevin.
I remembered a talk from Neil Richardson at Ennis Bookclub Festival being surprised at the very large percentage of Irishmen in the British Army at the time of World War One – as Ireland was a part of the British Empire, they were also fighting for or defending their country. At the launch of ‘The Immortal Deed of Michael O’Leary’, Danny Morrison spoke of his grandfather joining the British Army in 1917 and that very many Irishmen joined on the understanding that victory would lead to freedom for Ireland (text here – well worth a read) The seed has been a long time in bearing fruit but I am thinking that these neighbouring souls could actually have had the same hopes – just a different way of getting there. If one had not died in World War I, they might even have fought together some years later. We will never know….. I have spotted many plaques to General Tom Barry – where he lived, where he fought, and where he is buried.
One common denominator is that they are all in County Cork. Last weekend, the daily updates from Stair na hÉireann listed the anniversary of the death of Tom Barry (2nd July,1980 ) and also his birth (1st July, 1897). What I hadn’t realised was that the birth was in Co. Kerry. The 1901 census confirms that Thomas B. Barry, then 3 years old, was resident at house 35 in Langford in Killorglin, Co. Kerry. His mother is listed as head of house. His father is not mentioned on that form so I assumed that he may be at the R.I.C. barracks, where he then worked – retiring a few while later and returning with family to West Cork. But the only other Thomas listed for Killorglin that night was not his father –so maybe he did manage to opt out for a while. Or maybe I need to search further. Reverting to Google streetview, it appears that, unlike so many places in Co Kerry, Killorglin has not erected a plaque to record the residency of the young Tom Barry.I hope to visit in the coming weeks and visit to confirm. That is not to say that Kerry is short of republican memorial plaques
I do not recall seeing a plaque with such a message before.
I do keep my eye out for plaques and messages but it was by chance that I was on the inside of the footpath and dogs were on road-side that allowed me to spot this memorial – it is on house side of a front garden wall, a reminder every time leaving the house. There are many headstones that I have read that do not have as much affection and emotion….
Frank O’Connor’s books of short stories are all about. They could be at work, bedside, in car, or, best of all, occupying inside pocket. The short stories are visited in coffee shops, on bus or just chilling.
A while back, I was reading ‘The Genius’ and the comment desiring to be remembered in a statue got ingrained upstairs as I could not recall any recent commemorative statue in Cork city to anyone still alive at the time. The following week, watching the Late Late Show, Sonia O’Sullivan admitted (at 0:18:30) to glancing at the statue by James McLoughlin in Cobh when on early morning runs. I appear to be on an athletic theme at present so reasons enough to share the statue in Cobh. Enjoy. Not for the first time, a trip to the cemetery has led to learning and connecting of historical dots of information.
The cemetery in question is at St Bartholomew’s Church in Kinneigh, Co Cork – the location of the only round tower with an hexagonal base, as well as headstone commemorating O’Mahony Mór. I have long liked the idea of incorporating salvage material into new work.
Building materials from times past regularly were strong enough to last many lifetimes and had individual details that we do not get with current standardisation. I have managed to source one of the hoopers than I sought but I passed on the spiral stairs. The telephone box as a feature in the garden remains a dream. A few weeks back, with the train departure a while away, I walked to Hueston and was very happy to spot this commemorative piece to Dave Conway. Trying to find out about it did involve a few internet dead ends before I learned that Dave Conway was Demolition Manager involved in the LUAS project and the Railway Procurement Agency commissioned James Gannon to create a sculpted piece at Smithfield. Does it not scream out to be caressed? Or is that just my sense of admiration? Once again, the Irish language conveys a more accurate message. A while back, having attended the commemoration of Thomas Kent at Cork railway station, I learned that 15 train stations were renamed in 1966 to honour the 16 men executed after the 1916 Rising. 15 stations for 16 men – not sixteen stations. I was wondering as to Willie Pearse in that he is likely to be lost when people think of Pearse Station - and then think of his brother. Standing on the platform, waiting for the 08:39 to Donabate, I had a bit of a eureka moment, as Gaeilge. The photograph is slightly blurred as it was taken as engine approached and cut off the view but it clearly calls the station, Stáisiún na bPiarsach. This differs from Páirc an Phiarsaigh (Pearse Stadium in Galway) and Coláiste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire and got me thinking as to whether the possessive case was plural. My Irish is improving but Tuiseal Ginneadach of weak plurals is still well beyond me. I may know of a difference but do not know why or when to use. POF was consulted and was able to confirm that the sign in Irish does indeed recognise both brothers – STATION OF THE PEARSES. I suspect that Irish Rail will not be rebranding as Pearses’ Station – but I do think it would be the right thing to do in the year that is in it.
|
AuthorFrom Cork. SUBSCRIBE
Unless otherwise specifically stated, all photographs and text are the property of www.readingthesigns.weebly.com - such work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
Blogs I Read & LinksThought & Comment
Head Rambles For the Fainthearted Bock The Robber Póló Rogha Gabriel Patrick Comerford Sentence First Felicity Hayes-McCoy 140 characters is usually enough Johnny Fallon Sunny Spells That’s How The Light Gets In See That Tea and a Peach Buildings & Things Past Built Dublin Come Here To Me Holy Well vox hiberionacum Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland Liminal Entwinings 53degrees Ciara Meehan The Irish Aesthete Líníocht Ireland in History Day By Day Archiseek Buildings of Ireland Irish War Memorials ReYndr Abandoned Ireland The Standing Stone Time Travel Ireland Stair na hÉireann Myles Dungan Archaeouplands Wide & Convenient Streets The Irish Story Enda O’Flaherty Cork Archive Magazine Our City, Our Town West Cork History Cork’s War of Independence Cork Historical Records Rebel Cork’s Fighting Story 40 Shades of Life in Cork Roaringwater Journal |