Paul Henry- The Fairy Thorn, 1936
When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious.
―
I thought since this was St. Patrick’s Day that I would feature an Irish painter. There are a couple of obvious choices– Francis Bacon and Jack Butler Yeats, for example– but I chose Paul Henry, who spent his life painting his native Ireland from 1877 until 1958. He was perhaps the best-known painter in Ireland through the first half of the 20th century though many of us here in the States may not recognize the name.
You will however recognize the familiarity of his landscapes, most set in the west of Ireland in the Connemara district, an area described by Oscar Wilde as “a savage beauty.” For many, Henry’s landscapes represent the idealized image of the Irish countryside with simple white cottages set among stark, barren hills and rolling green fields. But his greens are not that bright Kelly green so often used in depicting Ireland. No, Henry often chose blue and brown tints in his work. He used a very distinct and deceptively cool palette in his painting which enhances the earthy coolness and solitary nature of the landscapes.
So, even if you haven’t even a wee bit of Irish blood, I hope you will enjoy these images of Eire. Here’s a song I like very much from Ireland’s own Lisa Hannigan recorded in a pub on the Dingle peninsula of Ireland. Might not be one of those songs you normally hear on this day but it’s as Irish as any of them.
{This post is from several years ago but has been embellished with the Edna O’Brien quote and the Lisa Hannigan song.}
Redtree Times 
I much prefer Henry’s paintings to the brighter greens that often represent Ireland. Granted, the landscape there can be vibrant, but the natural greens too often are reduced to one shade: like the commercialized Kelly green that’s so popular.
I am with you there. That Kelly green that has become so ubiquitous is a little too harsh and sharp for my liking. I love the many and varied shades of green and wish they hadn’t honed it down to that particular shade.
When I first saw Savage Beauty I thought that it was one of your paintings and couldn’t figure out where the red tree was … Wonderful paintings; thanks for introducing me to them. I looked back at some previous related posts and came across your picture of your great great grandmother (I may have got that wrong) – what a terrific story. I am on her side, and my (unsubstantiated to put it mildly) theory of the case is that she was taking clothes from her rich employers because they were arrogant and selfish and often paid her less than she was owed, and she was planning to sell the items or give them to others. And the neighbors were in the pay of her employers, as were, of course, the bought-off police.
And finally, Lisa Hannigan! Another gift, and its not even my birthday. I read a bit about her and here is a great line about what she discovered about herself during COVID:
As a singer-songwriter I’ve been preparing for this self-isolating business for most of my adult life. I have been surprised, though, at my commitment to and capacity for buttered toast
Thank you
Thanks, Frances. I would like to think that your theory on Mary’s motives were correct. There probably is, at least, a smidgen of truth in it. Whatever the case, she was a working woman and mother with ten children trying to make do. You do what needs to be done with what’s at hand. So, I try not judge her too harshly. And for my part, I am glad she did or else I might not be writing this reply to you.
Thanks for the great Lisa Hannigan line. Like her, I have been preparing for self-isolation all of my life so it rings true. I don’t know if you saw this video but it is from the early days of the pandemic, shot in the National Gallery of Ireland. Wonderful stuff: