Tara links Kilcullen and Lissadell
So what was the recent connection between Kilcullen, Lissadell House in Sligo, and Leonard Cohen?
Tara, who operates a picture framing service from her premises on Curragh Road, Kilcullen, was asked to do all the framing for a major exhibition at Lissadell of Yeats art and prints.
The exhibition, which forms a key part of the 'Yeats Trail' venture by Failte Ireland, was officially opened by the legendary singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen during his recent concerts there.
It is the first Yeats exhibition in the house since a 1943 fire destroyed the coach house which has been set up as a new Yeats Family gallery.
Lissadell House was bought by Naas based Edward Walsh and his wife Constance Cassidy in 2003 and the house, outbuildings and land have been substantially restored.
"I did the framing of the image reproductions of Yeats family works made by Tony Murray in Naas," Tara says. "These included copies of first edition books, and limited edition prints and original paintings."
The exhibition includes the last photograph taken of poet WB Yeats, seen for the first time. It was taken by Yeats's wife, Georgie Hyde-Lees, less than a week before he died in 1939.
Tara's father, Dermott Gale, had a long relationship with Lissadell House and did the framing for many of the pictures in the house itself, as well as a number of exhibitions held there.
"So when this came up, I was very pleased to be involved," says Tara. "Though it kept getting bigger and bigger, and every time I met a deadline, more items were brought in. In all there were about 300 frames, and even on the Wednesday before the opening, another 21 big posters were added."
Doing the work made Tara realise just how prolific WB Yeats had been. "I had no idea of the extent of what the man had done. Even framing the number of plays was a revelation. And Jack B Yeats seems to have illustrated every book going at the time. It was a really interesting job to do."
Brian Byrne.
(This piece was originally published on the Kilcullen page of the Kildare Nationalist.)
