BANKS have been getting such a bad press it would be churlish not to give credit when they do something good. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is sponsoring the restoration of The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, one of the most popular exhibits in the National Gallery of Ireland.

The US bank, which employs 1,700 people in Ireland, said the project was being funded through its international art conservation programme. The amount of the grant has not been disclosed.

The famous painting by Cork-born artist Daniel Maclise dates from 1854 and is viewed by approximately 750,000 people every year.

The exceptionally large canvas (10ftx16ft) depicts the marriage of Norman invader Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, to Aoife, daughter of Dermot McMurrough, the King of Leinster.

The event was traditionally regarded as pivotal in Ireland’s history as the marriage symbolised the start of 800 years of British rule in Ireland.

Valerie Keogh, a spokeswoman for the National Gallery of Ireland, said the painting had been removed from display and the project would take two years to complete.

The painting has been unrolled and placed on a purpose-built platform to allow the conservation treatments to be carried out. Members of the public interested in the project will be able to view webcam footage of the conservation work in progress which is due to be posted on the galley’s new website, www.nationalgallery.ie in March.

The revamped website also now features hundreds of works of art online; an archive of the exhibitions held in the Gallery in recent years; and information on thousands of research resources relating to Irelands artistic and cultural heritage and the visual arts in general.

The Gallery plans to progressively add to the online collection.

– MP