One can only surmise about the condition of the medieval wall-paintings in St Brigid's Abbey, Clare Island, Co Mayo, when Grace O'Malley was, reputedly, buried there over 400 years ago.
We can be sure, however, that when T.J. Westropp surveyed them in 1910 during the Clare Island Survey, the process of deterioration had dramatically accelerated. He concluded that, despite efforts by the Board of Works, irreparable damage had been done by seeping of water from the floor above during the previous decades.
According to Westropp, the local curate affirmed that the paintings had been in a good state of preservation when the building of the new chapel commenced in 1862.
Almost a century after Westropp's negative prognosis, the tide has turned and the conservation of what are deemed to be among the most significant medieval wall-paintings of their type in Ireland has been accomplished under the aegis of Duchas, with further support from the Royal Irish Academy and the Granuaile Trust.
Conservators Kristoph Oldenbourg and Madeleine Katkov have painstakingly uncovered a complex pageant of preying wolves, lyrical musicians and ebullient cattle-raiders. The paintings themselves are distinctive for their relative absence of Christian symbols whilst the completeness of what remains adds to their importance .
"The conservation, however, is only part of the process", says Ciara Cullen, director of the Centre for Island Studies. "We are now faced with many unresolved and important questions relating to the discovery." During a symposium, "Clare Islands Medieval Wall-Paintings: Charting the Way Forward", Ms Cullen hopes to resolve some of these questions. While the symposium will take as its starting point the success of the conservation work, the interpretation of the paintings now becomes a challenge in itself. A team of experts will debate the dating, iconography and relevance of the discovery.
"An active forum will be provided in which views, ideas, suggestions and speculations can be aired and debated," says Ms Cullen. "As a further step in unearthing and nurturing the heritage of the island, a team of specialists and interested parties will debate the logistics of a management plan that might satisfy both technical demands and the practicalities of making the site accessible to the public."
The Clare Island Symposium will run from the September 15th-17th. The £80 fee includes lectures, transport, food and entertainment. For further information, contact Ciara Cullen: Phone/Fax 09825412; email, ccullen@iol.ie.