Life in the West of Ireland
(Dublin: Maunsel, 1912)
Jack B. Yeats.
Life in the West of Ireland
The curator of the digital
exhibition of Yeats material at Villanova University has described Life in the West of Ireland as “a collection
of forty illustrations representing life in the west of Ireland. Yeats often
said he painted what he saw and this book provides an interesting look at
country life at the turn of the century. Titles such as The Country Shop,
A Political Meeting, The Race Day and Gathering Seaweed
describe daily life. Looking at the illustrations the viewer will see many
segments of social class, folkways, local characters, daily chores, and
recreational events”.
The book, which is on display at our Special Collections and Archives Reading Room for the month of January, contains color
prints, line drawings, and reprints from oil paintings. Some of the works
illustrated in the book were later exhibited. It is a summary of his work at
the age of 40.
The copy here in the Hardiman
Library would have been received at the time of publication. Related contextual
material would include copies of the Cuala Press Broadsides, produced by Yeats’
sisters and for which he also created many illustrations. Researchers may view
the original hardcopy Broadsides on request in the Special Collections Reading
Room. A digital archive has been created by Villanova as part of their
extensive Yeats collection and is viewable at http://exhibits.library.villanova.edu/jack-butler-yeats/
The Metal Man
The illustration shown here is
that of the Metal Man, well-known to anyone with Rosses Point, county Sligo,
connections. Local sources indicate that the Metal Man was placed on his 15ft
high pedestal at the entrance to Sligo Harbour in 1821 in an effort to guide
ships away from dangerous rocks in the area. He stands 12 ft high and is
dressed in the uniform of a Royal Navy Petty Officer. A similar metal man
stands at the entrance to the bay in Tramore, county Waterford.
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