Michael Burke | Roaringwater Journal

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Four years ago I wrote a post Irish Artists and Stations of the Cross. It was inspired by my realisation, as I visited churches, that some of them (OK, a tiny minority) had stations that were far removed from the mass-produced models we see on most church walls. During the period when parishes, congregations and architects were responding to the encouragement of Vatican II to glorify God with the best of sacred art and with up-to-date architecture, many Irish artists were glad indeed to get these commissions. I am starting today with two artists drawn to my attention by Michael Burke, the sculptor responsible for the remarkable stations from the last post in the Church of the Irish Martyrs at Ballycane. Thank you, Michael!

Fergus Lyons, First Fall, 3rd 1988, Oil on canvas, Collection of the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon

The first of these is an extraordinary set by Fergus Lyons, who now lives and works in Sligo. Read about him here and on his own website. His stations, originally designed for a church, are now in the collection of the Arts Council, and Fergus and the Arts Council have given me permission to use these three. The series is called Turas Chonnacht (Connacht Journey or Pilgrimage or Stations – the word Turas can mean all three things) and Christ is depicted as young man in jeans.

Fergus Lyons, Condemned ,1st, 1988, Oil on canvas, Collection of the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon

Fergus told me, I designed them that when hung side by side that they would form a continuous landscape (each painting blending or leading into the next) ascending Croagh Patrick and returning down again to where we all are, so to speak. He designed them for a church but the commission fell through, which is when the Arts Council bought the whole set and made it part of their travelling exhibitions. Currently it is on long term loan to St Oliver Plunkett Church in Finglas.

Fergus Lyons, Stripped, 10th, 1988, Oil on canvas, Collection of the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon

The second artist is Henry Flanagan O.P., and once again I have Michael Burke to thank for drawing him to my attention – he was Michael’s teacher at Newbridge College. Michael contacted me recently to say that the small enamel station I posted in my last piece was the work of Henry Flanagan – and this made sense because the enamel station was in a Dominican Retreat House, in Cork, and Fr Flanagan was a Dominican priest. Here is another of those stations. Michael has memories of helping Fr Flanagan to pack enamel – a delicate operation so Michael must have been a star pupil.

But Fr Flanagan was talented in multiple media – here is one of his stations in wood for Newbridge College. He also worked in stone, metal, plaster and more – I have ordered the book on him so I will write more about him in the future.

The beautiful library in Athy was once St Dominic’s Church, built in the 1960s. The builders turned to Abbey Stained Glass to provide the glass and the stations, and Frank Ryan asked George Campbell to design them. George, a leading artist, was used to working in paint, so Frank teamed him with George Walsh to realise the finished product. There’s a good account of all this in Karen Reihill’s George Campbell and the Belfast Boys.

The stations formed a band across the top of the wall and were made of multiple slaps of different coloured travertine marbles, with the scenes etched into the marble. George Campbell also painted stations for at least two churches – now that I know where to look I will be itching for a road trip. The Athy library is a joy to visit – see Emma Gileece’s wonderful post about it here.

Our final set of stations for this post are somewhat controversial. They are from John the Evangelist Church in Ballinteer. A sign in the church declares them to be the work of Cecil King. However, this is very unlikely – Cecil King by the time the church was built on the 70s was known for strictly abstract paintings with fields of colour and geometric elements. He did not work in repoussé copper. A much more likely candidate was Richard Enda King (the son of Richard King), who had a modern style and worked in copper like this.

Interestingly, each copper station is accompanied by a small pen and ink drawing of the same station, done by William Dowling in 1943 and acquired by the church in 2010. The juxtaposition of the two styles is a little jarring.

I had far more images than I could use for this post, so let me finish with another couple of Anon’s stations. As you know, the mystery of the enamel station has been solved from Post 1, although not that of the painted stations in the Wexford Franciscan church. Here’s another one of those, to see if it tickles anyone’s memory.

And one final work by Anon – this is one of the stations from a beautiful little set in the church in the Black Valley in Kerry. I think they may be wood carvings, but I am not sure. Anyone?

Many thanks to Michael Burke, Fergus Lyons and to Ben Mulligan of the Arts Council

Every Catholic Church in Ireland has a set of Stations of the Cross on the wall – fourteen focus points for devotion and reflection on the Way of the Cross. The Stations, as they are universally known in Ireland, come from a long tradition within the Catholic Church, often associated with St Francis, but also with the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, and the custom that Pilgrims had of retracing Jesus’ footsteps on the way to Calvary.

Most Stations appear to have been ordered from a catalogue and all look similar, painted in an Italianate Renaissance style and framed in wood. The image above, of one of the stations in a rural church in Cork, is typical.

However, architects, priests, and parish committees sometimes took the bolder step of commissioning Stations from a contemporary artist. The lead image and the one above are both from sets of Stations by Richard King. The lead image is the Deposition (Christ taken down from the Cross) and is in a small church in Foilmore in Kerry, while that immediately above is from Swinford, Co Mayo, as is the one below – a painting that focuses ferociously on the suffering of the crucified Jesus.

This was an important source of income for artists from the beginning of the new Irish State. While we don’t often think of the Catholic Church as a patron of the arts, in practical terms it functioned as such for many painters and sculptors. In fact it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the church was the largest commissioner of contemporary art in Ireland during most of the twentieth century.

Galway Cathedral is a showcase for twentieth-century artists and all fourteen Stations were carved in portland stone by Gabriel Hayes. It took her eighteen years to complete them and she called them ‘the main work of my life.’

Certain architects – Liam McCormack, for example, or Richard Hurley – considered each aspect of their design and included specification for contemporary art. Some indeed, like Eamon Hedderman, worked closely with artists to plan a church holistically, incorporating the art into the integral fabric of the building. A magnificent example of this can be seen in the Church of the Irish Martyrs in Ballycane (Naas) where large-scale graphic stations designed by Michael Burke are surrounded by contemporary glass by George Walsh.

Many of the Irish artists familiar to us from the 20th century catalogues have contributed Stations to churches around the country – sometimes to the large cathedrals but often too to obscure country parishes where the priest (it was usually the priest) wanted something more than a standard imported set. Sean Keating‘s Stations for St John’s Church in Tralee (both images below) are arresting in their drama and strong character studies.

Stations come in many media and I have tried to show a variety in this post by well-known Irish artists. Bath stone was the medium of choice for Ken Thompson – the image below is of one of his stations for St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford. Below that is a Station from Ballywaltrim Church in Bray by the Breton/Irish Sculptor Yan n Renard Goulet, although I am not sure what the material is.

Patrick Pye is more commonly associated with his stained glass windows for Irish churches, but his painted Stations for the Church of the Resurrection in Killarney (below) bring a quietly beautiful reflective focus to a contemporary interior.

Sean O’Sullivan was known primarily as a portrait painter, but he also designed Stations, such as the ones below for the church in Newquay in Clare. Using only pencil and colour washes, he has produced powerfully emotive scenes (below).

Stations, however, are often unsigned and so our old friend Anon is responsible for many. A future post will include some of his or hers. The enamel Station below, for example, may be by Nell Murphy, but I can’t confirm this, so Anon it is, for the moment.

I am also planning a post on Stations done in stained glass – they are some really beautiful example, starting of course with Harry Clarke’s Lough Derg windows. But this post will start us off with some of the examples I have seen in churches around the country – let’s call it an Introduction to Irish Contemporary Stations. I’d love to hear from readers who have their own favourite set. And if anyone knows the artist responsible for the Stations in the Franciscan Church in Wexford (example below), do let me know!