Here is the evidence:

Standing on Torr Head, County Antrim on a warm sunny August day.

Looking towards Fair Head with Rathlin Island off to the right.

I need some of that sunshine now, to warm my bones.

The Linesman ~ Bronze
Sculptor: Dony Mac Manus

At City Quay in Dublin’s revitalised Docklands, this lovely 7ft bronze sculpture by Dony McManus recalls the days when the Guinness boats docked close to the centre of Dublin City. With several new bridges now in place, only small vessels can access this part of the River Liffey.

Can you feel the pull on the muscles?

Massereene Forge, Antrim.

I was on my way to photograph the building above, back in the month of September. It was following my visit to Pogue’s Entry. Alas, I had an unforeseen change of plan, it was the day I landed flat on my face and ended up in A&E at the local hospital.  I am doing fine, but even all these long months later, I have numbness in my face. I still need to think about the food I eat, my meals take longer to consume and I am unable to chew on the right side of my mouth.  I have not starved, and indeed come a long way from drinking coffee through a straw and eating baby soft food.

The Forge was originally built in 1887 and was home to Viscount Massereene’s blacksmith’s forge. The distinctive horseshoe entrance still survives.

I have no idea of when it ceased to be a working forge. I didn’t cross the road today, so what type of stock was massively reduced, is still a mystery to me. I did visit an outlet shopping centre later and nearly every second shop has closed at this stage. I first noticed the gaps pre Christmas 2010. One of the young sales ladies was saying that the leases on the shops were due for renewal at the end of June, she knew of several outlets that would not be renewing!  Sad. Very sad.

O’Connell Street with three clocks

The three clocks have been there for years. They are McDowell’s the Jewellers, Lir and Clery’s.

Clery’s & Co. Ltd. Department Store

In late November 1940, Clery’s, opened the doors with a sale, to celebrate a new era under the management of Denis Guiney. This marked a turn in the fortunes of one of Dublin’s most famous department stores.

Originally Mc Swiney, Delany and Co. opened ‘The New or Palatial Mart”, a purpose-built premises in a prime position on Lower Sackville Street, as O’Connell Street was known one hundred and fifty nine years ago. Thirty years later it was taken over by M. J. Clery of Limerick. From 1883 to the present day, the name Clery and Co. has hung over the doors.

Legend has it that Denis Guiney bought Clery’s Store for £20,000. However, this was a partial payment. The true figure was a quarter of million pounds. On the wall of Clery’s Board Room hangs a cancelled cheque for the amount of £230,000, dated in 1941 which completed the purchase of the store. Denis Guiney came from Killorglin, Kerry where his father had a small farm. The eldest son of seven children, Denis left school at 14 and served his apprenticeship in the drapery shop near Killorglin. In 1917, Denis took the plunge and moved up to Dublin where he worked for Roberts and Co.

In 1921 Denis Guiney married Nora Gilmore and opened his first shop at 70 Talbot Street. The shop began at a dangerous time in Dublin. The Civil War raged around the country. Violence surged on the Dublin streets. In 1922 the shop on Talbot Street came under fire and was destroyed. Re-opening in 1923, the Guiney fortune went from strength to strength. By 1940, the turnover in Guiney’s was greater than Clery’s at that time. A year later the turnover reached £1 million.

Guiney’s store’s popularity stemmed from the assurance of good value, durable quality and stylish but affordable fashions. This was the reputation Denis brought with him when he took over Clery’s Store. Monster Sales, Drapery, Furnishing and Clocks, Clery’s Ballroom and the Beehive Bar and Clery’s Restaurant, were among the many features that ensured Clery’s succeeded under the wing of Denis Guiney’s management. Clery’s became a special resort for country people who came in droves at Christmas and on holidays to avail of the guaranteed bargains. Through the forties and fifties, Clery’s developed in the shadow of rationing and the country’s economic difficulties.

Withstanding the transformation of the sixties, Clery’s remained a focal point of the city-shoppers by adapting to the population’s changing demands. In 1967, Denis Guiney passed away but his business ethos was carried on by his second wife, Mary, who preserved her husband’s family tradition. During his forty-six years as an employer, he had provided employment for over 6,000 people and had established Clery’s as a leading department store in Dublin.

Clery’s Clock.

A large clock with two faces hangs above Clerys’ central doors on O’Connell Street. “Under Clerys’ clock” was a well-known rendez-vous, both for Dubliners, and visitors from the countryside, and is famous in the city’s popular culture as a place where ‘first dates’ and many romances began.

No longer considered “our country-cousins” domain, Clery’s boasts of over 70 different units from the fashionable clothing outlets and an affordable range for children. Under the great span of Clery’s roof, you will find something for everyone including China, household goods, clothing, cosmetics, soft furnishings, mobile phones and the largest selection of beds in Dublin. With four separate coffee shops cum restaurants, you will not have to go far to rest your feet during a day of shopping.

No Christmas is complete without Clery’s Santa’s Grotto which has delighted Dublin’s children for generations.

More info about Clery’s

Mr. Screen ~ Bronze
Sculptor ~ Vincent Browne

This sculpture of a cinema usher, entitled Mr. Screen, is a caricature and stands outside the Screen Cinema at the junction of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street in Dublin.

The duties of a cinema usher include checking tickets, directing people to their assigned seats, distributing programmes, answering questions and assisting people in finding restrooms and refreshments. It might also include a security role.

Vincent Browne studied at the National College of Art & Design and the Jan Van Eyck Academy in Holland. He represented Ireland in the 7th International Small Sculpture Show in Budpest. He won the Oireachtas Gold Medal for sculpture three times (1974, 85, 86); the Waterford Glass Prize (1992); and several grants and awards from the Arts Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs. His Maritime Piece in Wicklow town won the Concrete Society of Ireland Sculpture Award in 1993.

Nowadays we hear constantly about people suffering from stress. It was not a word in our lexicon when I was young. If any of us were feeling uptight, frustrated or angry about something, mammy set us to do some physical task. By the time the chore was completed, all angst and frustration were worked off and a cheerful calm was restored.

A few years down the line when were working for our living, when form was not good, we went to the pictures/movies to see a ‘weepie’ or a comedy and either cried or laughed our way through. We danced our way home with all the troubled emotions settled….. sure it was better and cheaper than a visit to the doctor or a bottle of pills.

Going to the pictures has been very much on my mind in recent months.

In the middle of last December I became aware of a project at the hands of Planet Korda Productions.

See You at the Pictures! is a new documentary from Planet Korda Pictures in association with RTÉ. We are looking for stories/anecdotes about all aspects of the cinema-going experience from people of all ages.

It was a quiet week so I decided to jot down a few memories…. before I knew it, I was clicking the ‘send’ button. The following day I had an email thanking me for my contribution. You can read it here.

Last week interviews were being held in Dublin and I was asked if I would be available for a chat. I went along on Wednesday afternoon and shared some memories of my visits to the pictures, cinemas that are no more and how some of the pictures had an impact on my life. I hope it was helpful.

Of course, I might be lying in a bundle on a cold cutting room floor by now. No worries, it was a very interesting experience.

No. Not that fella.  He was last weeks flavour. I’m talking about this week…

As I was saying…. I met a fella….. Tall, dark and handsome….

We had coffee, lovely coffee, sat on soft seats at a low table and the chat flowed as gently and freely as a country stream.

It was as I drained the second cup that he came up with the suggestion…. You know the kind of thing:-

Do you fancy coming to see xxx?

Well by now you know me. I am always intrigued by what my Toyboys get up to when they are not with me, so I gathered my bits and off we went.

It involved tables and not of the mathematical type, but I am sure there were more than a few sums involved in getting them to where they were.

We went to the newly opened MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) in Belfast, an arts venue in Saint Anne’s Square, behind St Anne’s Cathedral. Built at a cost of £18 million it contains:

120 seat theatre
350 seat theatre
3 art galleries
Rehearsal space
Dance studio
3 education & workshop rooms
Café & bar
Artist-in-residence studio

The three galleries are open and free to the public, we began on the ground floor in the Sunken Gallery.

I told you there were tables.

Somewhere But Here, Another Other Place is a display made up of a number of second-hand tables stacked to fill the gallery which visitors are invited to explore.  Dublin-based artist Maria McKinney’s unusual installation, invited us to take a fresh look at everyday objects and to examine notions of boredom and how to escape it!

Each of the stacked tables contained a completed jigsaw puzzle.

All puzzles no matter what size or shape, showed different views of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.

We were invited to climb a set of steps to view the display from above.  Alas the angle of the steps, the lack of head space to the ceiling, and the need to hold on meant the photo from above was not an easy shot.

In what was called Substation on the ground floor was Sounds of the City a community  project and exhibition commissioned by the Mac and led by artists from Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) The project involved five sound installations. The group worked with two intergenerational groups in Belfast. At times the sound pieces ran into each other and this was rather distracting and for me, spoiled the overall effect of the piece.

<^><^>

A People Observed, an exhibition that brought together, for the first time, the work of artists L.S. Lowry and Belfast-born William Conor in the MAC’s climate controlled Tall Gallery on the 3rd floor. As you can understand we were not allowed to take photographs. It was wonderful to see the works and compare notes with my companion about those that had special appeal to each of us.

Nicholas Keogh’s film A Removal Job (also on the third floor) celebrates the camaraderie of a group of workers and the unspoken exchanges between them. The film follows the household clearance of a traditional two-up, two-down red brick terrace  in Belfast. Alas, the erratic and violent actions at the beginning were not to my taste.

<^><^>

In the Upper Gallery on the top, floor Robert Therrien’s first presentation in Ireland No Title (Table and Four Chairs) was amazing.

Under the table

That handsome guy on the left is six foot tall!  My five foot seven took me only to the level of the seat of the chair.

The table stands at almost ten feet and certainly brought back memories of playing under the dinner table at home when I was a child.  It was a great reminder that very young children see the world from that angle.

Nick and GM, do we look small

We were not allowed to touch the installation so you have to imagine me climbing up to sit on the chair.

The building also has two theatres. The larger, a 350 seater venue is tucked away on the bottom floor underneath the stairs beside a row of intimate snugs facing a very modern bar.

I fancied lounging here on the vast pale leather chesterfield that sat in a space near the lifts. Alas, it was time to head for home. Thank you Nick for the the coffee and the chance to chat and catch up. I do hope the Royal Visitors didn’t delay your journey home.

]]> http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2012/04/29/tables/feed/ 0 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2012/04/22/best-night-ever/ http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2012/04/22/best-night-ever/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:00:39 +0000 Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=14670

Best Night Ever ~ Bronze
Sculptor ~Bob Quinn

This wonderful piece has rather haunted me for quite a long time. At home in the Irish National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, it has no indication as to the artist.  Eventually after months of searching and many visits through differing seasons I have finally discovered the secret.

Bob’s work is a celebration of the drama and the nobility of the most ordinary of human activity. One young lady carries her bag while the other carries her shoes.

Born in 1948 Bob Quinn had a long career as a commercial artist, designer and as the head of a successful design and production company. He now works full time as a sculptor in Blackrock Co Dublin where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

He has pursued his love of drawing and sculpture throughout his career and has illustrated several publications and has been a regular contributor of illustrations to Independent Newspapers. His sculptures appear in private collections and gardens throughout Ireland, Britain and Europe.

Although loosely described as figurative his art is expressionist and his deep  knowledge of  anatomy allows him to abstract the human form and make the simplest of observations. His lifelong influences have been Epstein, Marini and Giacometti and painters such as Millet and Degas.

Although no artist with a camera, this last photo gives me the feeling of the euphoria bubble that surrounds the girls as they leave the party.

]]> http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2012/04/22/best-night-ever/feed/ 0 http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2012/04/21/openings-33-botanic-gardens-dublin/ http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2012/04/21/openings-33-botanic-gardens-dublin/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:10:50 +0000 Grannymar http://www.grannymar.com/blog/?p=14657

One of the many entrances to the Curvilinear Glasshouses, Irish National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.Begun in 1843 and opened in 1849, but not actually completed until 1869. The east wing was built by William Clancy, but the remaining sections were built by Richard Turner, and his son William. It is the most important building in the Gardens and another glimpse will be seen in the post tomorrow. The range was faithfully restored in 1995.

There are a great variety of glasshouses in the grounds and they come in many shapes and sizes, the first of which was built in 1800. The Palm house was erected in 1884, when the previous wooden building was damaged in a storm. This building and its accompanying Orchid House and Camellia house wings was restored in 2004.

During a visit in March this year my focus was on the Conservatory. The first building you see from the car park.

To mark National Tree Week an exhibition – ‘In celebration of trees’ - An exhibition of Bonsai, was in progress. A series of free re-potting demonstrations was held during the course of the exhibition.

I was not there at the time of the demonstrations, but was privileged to meet Andrew J Murray the owner of the specimens, who for the second year running had been invited to use the space to display his treasures.  He had 150 specimens on display all nurtured, carried and set out for the couple of weeks at his own expense.  It was a real labour of love.

Andrew Murray

Andrew told me that he liked to reproduce our own native trees in miniature form.

A hand - Bronze

The sculpture stands in the grounds of the Department of Education, in front of Tyrone House in Marlborough Street, Dublin.

Well trimmed nails!

Despite much searching I was unsuccessful in finding the name of the sculptor or the story behind the piece. I wonder if any of you can throw light on it for me?

Since I was unsuccessful in finding any details of the Hand sculpture I have decided to give you some background to the commissioning process for a piece of sculpture.

Usually when a potential client expresses an interest in commissioning a work they contact the artist directly with their proposal. If for example they want a life size figure in bronze as the finished work, then the procedure would be as follows:

• Furnish the artist with the most important details of the subject to be sculpted, photographs, descriptions etc.
• The artist draws designs for the client based on the material given.
• The client approves of a drawing to be developed in three dimensions for which a fee is paid to the artist for conceptual development.
• Once the client is contented with all the views of the three dimensional model, it is then enlarged to the full scale in clay on the payment of the first of three equal payments to be agreed on at the start.
• When the client is happy with the enlarged sculpture, they will then pay the second instalment of the fee before a mould can be made of the work so that it can be cast in bronze.
• Once it is cast in bronze and finished to the clients specifications, it will then be shipped and installed on site after which the final third is paid.

A popular procedure used for most work is the Lost Wax Method, which dates back with little change to the Ancient Greeks and beyond.

It starts off with the original artwork in clay on which a rubber mould is applied with elevated points that register in the plaster or fibreglass ridged jacket, which covers it. The rubber holds the impression of the surface and undercuts while the plaster or fibreglass holds the form.

Once the mould has been made and taken off the clay master, a layer of molten wax is applied to the inner surface of the rubber to replicate the detail of the original. Once this is at a sufficient thickness (5-7mm), it is then covered in a ceramic shell by dipping it in a ceramic mix and then fired in a kiln to melt out the wax and solidify the ceramic mould. While the said mould is still hot it is buried in sand for support and molten bronze is poured into the vacuum where the wax used to be. Once the metal solidifies as it cools, it is possible to smash off the ceramic mould and weld the bronze pieces back together for the complete work to be realized.

The piece is then ready to be shipped and installed an  the pre-arranged site.

Dancing Children ~ Bronze
Sculptor ~ Cathy Carmen

The sculpture is a reminder of children playing in the streets of Dublin back in the days. Nowadays Summerhill evokes more the image of unpleasing gangs of youngsters than children playing and dancing. The location is not very enjoyable and most pedestrians wouldn’t even recognize that the statue is there!

Cathy Carman is an Irish Sculptor working in bronze, wood and stone. She was educated at the National College of Art and Design and has since worked exclusively as a sculptor. She is a leading member of Independent Artists, and a long time associate of Temple Bar Galleries and Studio.

She has recieved critical acclaim in Ireland both for her one person exhibitions, and for her public sculpture. Her work is held in private & public collections in Ireland, Britian, the USA and Italy.