THE CELTIC REVIVAL AND THE ARTS AND CRAFTS IN IRELAND was a nine-day tour dedicated to exploring the rich historical and artistic connections between the Celtic Revival and the Arts and Crafts Movements across Ireland. The itinerary featured an extensive range of sites, including major cultural institutions, historic churches, architectural landmarks, and natural wonders, focusing particularly on the masterful stained glass, metalwork, and architecture characteristic of these influential periods. The program offered an exploration of Ireland’s profound cultural heritage, covering the vast history of the island, from its Gaelic origins and Viking settlements to its modern literary and political development.
Understanding the Celtic Revival and Arts and Crafts Movements
The Celtic Revival, sometimes referred to as the ‘Celtic Twilight’ was a variety of movements in the 19th and 20th centuries that spawned renewed interest in many aspects of Celtic culture. Poets and playwrights drew on the traditions of Gaelic and Welsh literature. Artists, stone-carvers, and architects were inspired by the insular styles used in the Iron Age and early medieval period in Britain and Ireland. Although the revival was complex and multifaceted, occurring across many fields, and in various countries in Northwest Europe, its best-known manifestations are the interlaced art style and the Irish Literary Revival. Irish writers including WB Yeats and Lady Gregory stimulated a new appreciation of traditional Irish literature, folklore, and Irish poetry. One widespread result of the Celtic Revival was the introduction of the design of medieval Irish High Crosses, as a form for monumental and funerary art.
A growing sense of Celtic identity encouraged a rise in nationalism in the United Kingdom and this was especially intense in Ireland. The Celtic Revival provided the driving force that powered Ireland’s transition from being a cultural, economic, and political backwater of England, into becoming a thriving fully independent European nation and culture.
Masterpieces of Stained Glass and Architecture
The tour emphasized sites rich in craftsmanship and architecture from these movements. Stained glass work was a major component, particularly the pieces by Harry Clarke, whose windows were viewed at St Nicholas of Myra, St Canice’s Cathedral, Tully Church, St John’s and St Augustine’s, Holy Trinity, Killiney, and the Honan Chapel, where he designed eleven windows. Clarke’s famous “The Angel of Peace and Hope” window was installed at Holy Trinity, Killiney, having been commissioned during the First World War. Other notable stained glass included that by Earley & Co., Earley Studios, Mayer of Munich, and the An Tur Gloine studio. The tour highlighted the interior of the Oratory of the Sacred Heart in Dun Laoghaire, which was ornately decorated in Celtic design over sixteen years by Sister Concepta (Mary Concepta Lynch), an Irish nun and skilled artist/calligrapher. The Oratory also contained a stained-glass window dedicated to her father, Thomas Joseph Lynch, a Dublin illustration artist known as the “King of Celtic Arts” in the 1880s, created by Joshua Clarke & Sons.
Architectural and design achievements seen included the Gothic Revival work of William Burges at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral and the Arts and Crafts style model village of Talbot’s Inch, designed by William Alphonsus Scott, who also contributed designs for metalwork and woodwork to the Cathedral of St Brendan, Loughrea. The group observed the pivotal role of John O’Connell, a key figure in the Celtic Revival, in initiating the Honan Chapel’s construction. The group also observed sculpture by John Hogan, Patrick Courtney, John Hughes, and Michael Shortall, and the work of Imogen Stuart at the Honan Chapel.
The Extensive Itinerary: Dublin to Connemara
The extensive route covered diverse regions, starting with a base in Dublin’s Georgian Quarter. Visits in the capital included significant cultural institutions such as the National Library of Ireland, the Museum of Literature of Ireland (MoLI), and Trinity College.
Further south, attendees saw Heywood Gardens, featuring the formal gardens designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. In Kilkenny, stops included Butler Castle (Kilkenny Castle), St Canice’s Cathedral, and the Talbot’s Inch model village. The group visited the historic Rock of Cashel. In Cork City, the group toured St Fin Barre’s Cathedral and University College Cork (UCC), including the Hiberno-Romanesque Revival Honan Chapel and the Boole Library. Moving west, sites included the heritage village of Adare, the Gothic Revival Dromore Castle, the Kilmacduagh Round Tower (the tallest in Ireland), and the Cathedral of St Brendan, Loughrea (rich in Arts & Crafts artifacts). The Connemara region included visits to Tully Church, Kylemore Abbey and its Victorian Walled Garden, Ballynahich Castle Gardens, and Killary Harbour Fjord. The tour concluded with stops at the Yeats Centre and Lough Gill in Sligo, and the ruined monastery of Clonmacnoise Centre.
Tour Highlights
St Nicholas of Myra
An Irish Roman Catholic church featuring an Ionic portico and a copper domed bell tower, notable for stained glass by Earley & Co., the “Marriage of the Virgin Mary” window by Harry Clarke, and sculpture by John Hogan.
St John’s and St Augustine’s
A church designed by Edward Welby Pugin and George Ashlin, completed in 1895, featuring internal stone works by sculptor Patrick Courtney and stained glass by Mayer of Munich and the Harry Clarke studio.
The Long Room (Trinity College Library)
The main chamber of the Old Library, nearly 65 meters long, containing 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books, marble busts, and historic artifacts such as the 1916 Proclamation and a 15th-century harp.
GPO Witness History Visitor Centre
The front part of the original GPO building, which served as the headquarters for the 1916 Easter Rising, now houses an immersive exhibition designed by Martello Media.
Heywood Gardens, County Laois
An eighteenth-century landscape where formal gardens were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the early 1900s, featuring a sunken garden and an elongated pool.
Rock of Cashel (St Patrick’s Rock)
An historical and religious site, formerly a center of power from the 4th century, featuring church buildings constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries.
St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork
A landmark cathedral known for its Gothic Revival architecture, serving as a testament to the detailed vision of its architect, William Burges.
Kilmacduagh Round Tower
The tallest round tower in Ireland (34.5 meters), maintaining its impressive form since its establishment in the 7th century, surrounded by the ruins of a monastery.
Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden
A castle built in 1868 and later converted into a Benedictine Nuns monastery; the accompanying church is Neo-Gothic in style.
Clonmacnoise Centre
A ruined monastery in County Offaly on the River Shannon, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, featuring a Cathedral, two round Towers, three high crosses, and over 700 Early Christian Grave slabs.
Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire
A coastal suburb, where the Oratory of the Sacred Heart at St Mary’s Dominican Convent was visited, featuring exquisite Celtic design work by Sister Concepta (Mary Concepta Lynch).
Holy Trinity, Killiney
A Trustee church opened in 1859, whose most famous feature is the window “The Angel of Peace and Hope,” a small masterpiece commissioned from Harry Clarke.
Other Key Locations
- National Library of Ireland: Dedicated to collecting and preserving the intellectual record of Ireland, featuring a permanent exhibition detailing the “Life and Work of W B Yeats.”
- Museum of Literature of Ireland (MoLI): Celebrating Ireland’s internationally renowned literary culture and heritage, inspired by James Joyce.
- Butler Castle (Kilkenny Castle): The historical seat of the Butler family for almost 600 years.
- Cathedral of St Brendan, Loughrea: Housing one of the most extensive collections of Arts & Crafts and Celtic Revival artifacts in Ireland.
- Drumcliffe Churchyard, County Sligo: The final resting place of W.B. Yeats, marked with his simple, self-penned epitaph.
Acknowledgments and Contact Information
We extend our sincere gratitude to the dedicated leadership and experts who made this tour possible. Our appreciation goes to the Arts & Crafts Tours leadership: Elaine Hirschl Ellis (President), Peyton Skipwith (Associate Director), and Gail Ettinger (Program Director). We are deeply thankful to our knowledgeable guides and lecturers: Mark Leslie, Dr. Ana Dolan, Senior Conservation Architect, and Dr. Michael Earley. Furthermore, we thank Leo Weissman for his valuable early research and enthusiastic assistance regarding the sites and the artists’ response to the Celtic Revival.
To explore future tours focusing on similar themes of art and history, or to arrange a unique itinerary tailored to your specific interests, please utilize the contact information provided by the tour organizer, Arts & Crafts Tours. You can inquire about upcoming tours or obtain more information on bespoke tours, custom tours for small groups, or personalized tours by reaching out to the team led by Elaine Hirschl Ellis, President.