Category Archives: Places

Beautiful Girl

“One day I was going through Keel and I met her [Emily]… and she called to me, ‘Oh Mr Henry, I want you to come and see a very beautiful girl.” I followed obediently, and we knocked at the door of a cottage… The door opened to Mrs. Weddall’s knock and the young girl stood in the doorway. ‘Mr. Henry’ piped Mrs. Weddall, ‘I have come to show you a most beautiful girl.'”

Recounts the artist of the “not perhaps the most tactful” introduction to his potential sitter by Emily. The girl was indeed very beautiful, but very shy and did not stick around too long after the brief introduction. The portrait never go painted.

 

Sources
An Irish Portrait,Paul Henry’s Autobiography, 1951. P 52-53

Introducing Mr. Henry

Much of Paul Henry’s livelihood was dependent on providing a London publication publication with sketches of anything that would be of interest to them. He needn’t have worried as his new friend Emily Weddall was happy to introduce him around. Emily had made Achill her home four years previous to the Henry’s arrival. An outgoing personality she became familiar with the people of Achill very quickly. Although outspoken her kindness and genuine concern endeared her to all. She took it upon herself to introduce the Henry’s to everybody.

“She was enthusiastic about my work and my desire to live in Achill and paint, and between us I think we were largely responsible for putting Achill ‘on the map’, as it is called… but Mrs. Weddall was enthusiastic to the point of embarrassment that I should see everything and everybody.”

True to her word Emily did introduce him around and to possible models for his paintings.  As Henry recounted:

“She was a woman who bubbled over with enthusiasm, and she called to me, ‘Oh Mr. Henry, I want you to come and see a very beautiful girl.'”

That is how Emily introduced him to a potential sitter for his portraits!

img_1342

The “Sketcher”

It was not long before Paul Henry and his wife Grace settled into Island life, although it took a little time for them to learn the customs peculiar to the area. In the early days he had become known as the “Sketcher” and local people began to avoid him. Not knowing what he had done to upset people he asked advice of the local nurse.

“Even then I did not realise the reason for this, and it was left to my good friend Nurse Comerford to explain to me that my making drawings of the people was bitter resented. Then I saw where I stood. I had come up against one of the oldest superstitions world, he belief that something of the sitter entered into the drawing.”

Postcard photograph of Keel Village Postmarked 1910. From Valentine series.

Postcard photograph of Keel Village Postmarked 1910. From Valentine series.

This proved a problem for Henry as his livelihood was dependent of providing a London publication with sketches of anything that would be of interest to them. Luckily for him Emily Weddall made it her business to befriend him Emily  took him and his wife Grace under her wing and introduced them around.

Sources
Keel village in 1910 this is one the sights that inspired Paul Henry Reproduced with kind permission of Mayo Public Library, Castlebar.
An Irish Portrait, Paul Henry’s Autobiography, 1951. P 53

The Henry’s Settle in Keel

Paul Henry decided that Keel was the perfect village to take up residence and persuaded Mr ad Mrs Barrett, the local shopkeepers and postmasters to put him up as there was no other boarding houses in the village. After a lot of persuasion they gave in and provided him with lodgings.

Postcard photograph of Post Office road, Keel.

Postcard photograph of Post Office road, Keel.

“The currents of life had carried me to this remote spot, and there seemed no current strong enough to carry me away…I made another of my quick decisions, which I never regretted and taking my return ticket to London out of my pocket tore it into small pieces and scattered the fragments into the sea which foamed round the rocks of Gubalennaun”.

Sources
An Irish Portrait,Paul Henry’s Autobiography, 1951. P 48
The site in Keel where the post office was located that Paul Henry first made contact with the people of Achill
Photo: Published by Judges Ltd. , Hastings, England. No. 13104. No date. Reproduced with the kind permission of Mayo Libraries.

About Paul Henry

DSCF1641“Belfast-born artist Paul Henry (1876-1958) lived and worked on Achill Island for a decade, from 1910-1919, and continued to produce Achill landscapes in later life. His works, particularly the landscapes of Achill Island and Connemara, came to typify a vision of Ireland that was prevalent in the early years of the new Irish Free State.”Read More on http://www.achill247.com/artists/paulhenry.html