Sir, – In his interesting article about the great Irish scholar George Petrie (“An Irishman’s Diary”, January 11th), Brian Maye mentions Henry O’Neill as one of the artists influenced by his writings. O’Neill himself is a very interesting personality, to whom Ireland owes a considerable debt, but his story is rather a tragic one.
He was born in Clonmel in 1798. As well as being an antiquarian, he was an artist of considerable merit. He it was who painted the series of pictures, now well known, of Daniel O’Connell and a group of his fellow-prisoners during their incarceration in Richmond Gaol, apart from some very fine landscape views.
But he was a man of a difficult and contentious nature. He resigned from the Royal Hibernian Academy over a perceived slight. Having fallen out with most of his peers, he sought work in London, and in desperation even enlisted for military service , but was compassionately bought out by some well-wishers.
Back in Dublin he embarked on his greatest work, Illustrations of the Most Interesting of the Sculptured Crosses of Ancient Ireland, published in 1857. It contained 36 tinted lithographs, with descriptions of each cross and an essay on Irish art.
It was a magnificent work, but O’Neill was no businessman and failed to find a market. His conflict with others in his field left him penniless at the end. He died in December 1880, leaving his second wife and four children unprovided for.
His unfortunate personality cannot nullify the importance of his achievements. Little attention had been paid to the high crosses of Ireland before publication of his great work. Now every graveyard is forested with versions, and the high cross has become, with the harp and the wolfhound, one of the iconic symbols of Ireland.
It is ironic, to say the least, and shameful, that Henry O’Neill himself lies in an unmarked grave in a neglected corner of Glasnevin cemetery.
Now some well-wishers wish to amend this injustice by arranging to have a modest Celtic cross erected at the spot. Anyone wishing to subscribe to the project should get in touch with me (elizhealy@eircom.net). – Yours, etc,
ELIZABETH HEALY,
Monkstown, Co Dublin.