Lecture 1
12.30pm, Friday 25 October
Men of the South by Seán Keating. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.
Áine Andrews
Cork Public Museum
Séan Keating’s Men Of The South on exhibition in the Upper Gallery, Culture Night. Image credit: Michelle Whelan
Sean Keating's enduring image of the North Cork Brigade poised for ambush on a hillside during the War of Independence continues to fascinate, especially in Munster. Its popularity is in no small part down to the fact that we know who all the men are. It could be assumed from the painting that Keating was a firm supporter of armed rebellion but a gentle study of his wife May Walsh seated in the window reading shows the artist in another light. Recently acquired by the Crawford, The Window was relatively unknown because it had remained in private ownership since it was first exhibited exactly 100 years ago.
To the outsider May was the perfect wife. She often acted as her husband's model and quietly cared for their two children, Michael and Justin. She was however a spirited, highly intelligent, multilingual, political activist.
These activities have never been fully documented, though enough is known to suggest that her influence on Keating extended far beyond being simply a muse for his artistic work. Together we will study these two works and possibly gain further insight into the artist's life and work.
Image credit: Séan Keating’s Men Of The South on exhibition in the Upper Gallery, Culture Night. Image credit: Michelle Whelan
The Friends lectures will take place in Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald's Park, Mardyke Walk, Cork, T12VOAA. Street parking is available on Mardyke Walk. All welcome however places are limited so advance booking is essential on friends@crawfordartgallery.ie or on 021-4907864.
Tickets cost €10, students go free with a valid I.D.
Lecture 3
12:30pm, Friday 8 November
Kate O’Brien: Writing Spain
Dr Michael Waldron
Cork Public Museum
© Regina Carbayo, Portrait of Kate O'Brien (detail), 2015. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
2024 is the 50th anniversary of Kate O’Brien (1897-1974), the Limerick-born author of nine novels, as well as plays, biographies, and travelogues. Join Dr Michael Waldron as he discusses O’Brien’s relationship with Spain and the books she set there. Although not essential, this talk offers the perfect incentive to (re)read her fiction, Mary Lavelle (1936) and That Lady (1946), non-fiction, Farewell Spain(1937) and Teresa of Avila (1951), or watch the films based on her work: That Lady (1955), starring Olivia de Havilland and Paul Scofield, and Talk of Angels (1998), starring Polly Walker and Frances McDormand.
The Friends lectures will take place in Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald's Park, Mardyke Walk,Cork, T12VOAA. Street parking is available on Mardyke Walk. All welcome however places are limited so advance booking is essential on friends@crawfordartgallery.ie or on 021-4907864.
Tickets cost €10, students go free with a valid I.D.
