Everything you wanted to know about the Ros Tapestries
THERE is no better way to learn and understand history than to be involved in the making of it.
The people of New Ross have taken this quite literally, and the result is the magnificent Ros Tapestries which are on display on the quayside in the county Wexford town.
They are often described as a tale told in thread; telling the story of the Vikings and the Norman arrival in the south east, and the founding of the port of Ros.
Incorporating millions of stitches, these large striking tapestries celebrate Ireland’s Norman customs; traditions and rituals; the crowning of a Celtic king; a Norman battlefield scene; the building of medieval Tintern Abbey and the founding of the town of New Ross in Co.Wexford by the Norman Earl of Pembroke, William Marshal, and his wife Isabel de Clare in 1207.
The Ros Tapestry project was first started by The Very Reverend Dr Paul Mooney who was rector of the historic St Mary’s Church in New Ross, back in 1998. He wanted the people of New Ross to be more aware of their history, particularly the arrival of the Normans in Ireland.
The idea of displaying a tapestry was similar to the famous Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England with William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later the King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings.
Dr Mooney’s original plan was to hang this tapestry in the historic St. Mary’s Church of Ireland in New Ross, and he asked local artist, Reiltin Murphy, to create a visualisation of how the tapestry could be displayed.
However, the focus of the tapestry widened, from the story of the Norman expansion into Ireland in the latter part of the 12th century, to include the founding of the port and town of New Ross in 1207, by the famous knight and ‘Flower of Chivalry’ William Marshal. A provisional list of fifteen themes for tapestry panels was outlined, as well as the measurements for the panels to be hung from the gallery of the century church.
This made the Ros Tapestries significantly different from Bayeux. It is a massive community project, still ongoing, with fifteen magnificent tapestries currently hanging on display in the local Exhibition Centre.
Since 1998, over 150 volunteers have worked on the project to skilfully embroider the 6X4 panels. They came from Wexford, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Offaly, Wicklow, Cork and even as far afield as Bristol and Essex!
It was the locally-based artist, Ann Griffin Bernstorff, who initially designed and painted the fifteen panels of medieval history. Extensive research into historical events, customs, dress and folklore ranging from the value of cattle under the Brehon laws to the troubadours of Aquitaine and the many of Italian bankers who operated in medieval Ros had to be undertaken.
Groups of stitchers were then established across different areas of County Wexford and further away such as Inistioge, Thomastown, Duncannon, Ferns, Crossabeg, Clonroche, Bunclody, Duncannon and Bawnmore. Where it was possible, the panels were embroidered at venues which were associated with the historical content such as ‘ The Siege of Wexford’, which was stitched at The National Heritage Centre at Ferrycarrig.
Some of the stitchers were well experienced needlewomen, who under the guidance of textile and embroidery expert, Alexis Bernstorff, began a project of enormous importance. Indeed, to look at any of the tapestries today, you would understand why each Tapestry took a few years to be completed. The sheer size of each one, along with the minute attention to detail and the depiction of each historic scene meant that painstaking care was needed. Each tapestry measures 6X4 foot in size, taking over four years to complete a single one.
Great frames, or ‘ looms’ were initially set up to stretch the fabric on which the original outline had been drawn. Four stitchers then sat side-by-side looking at the artists drawing in front of them, and it was up to them to decide upon the correct colour of the wool or the correct stitch to depict a scene.
Technically, the style of embroidery used on the Tapestry is known as crewelwork. They worked their magic over the years in what became a wonderful social and community project.
If you look at many of the landscape scenes in the tapestries, the hills, mountains and rivers almost jump out at you as if full of life. This is down to the skilful stitching using French and bullion knots, satin and chain stitches while other scenes called for seeding, fly-stitching or long-and-short stitching. Folds of dress fabric are done in couching, skilfully adapted to affect the complicated pleats.
Many photographs are still archived of the stitchers at work from the late 90s onwards, with venues such as Duncannon Fort, Poulfor Parochial House, Woodstock Museum and Johnstown Castle being established as working centres for the stitchers. Currently, the stitchers operate at the Exhibition Centre itself, in the grain store on The Quay in New Ross.
At present, fifteen of The Ros Tapestries are on display, with two more set to join the collection. Although not a part of the New Ross story, ‘Unity’ and ‘Coming Home’ are oval shaped panels currently being worked on.
Unity is about Ireland and its connections with the EU while ‘Coming Home’ focuses on Ireland and its American connection. The first stitch was made by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend as part of the’ JFK50 Homecoming’ celebrations on 20th June, 2013, in the presence of a number of the Kennedy family, who had travelled to New Ross for the celebrations. It is expected that the tapestry will tour the United States when completed.
Although the story of The Ros Tapestries is completed and forever captured in thread, a visit to the Exhibition Centre today brings history back to life. Upstairs, stitchers and embroiderers can still be found on Monday, Tuesday and the odd Friday, busy at work on the next chapter. Many international tourists, school tours and locals pay them a visit and find it fascinating to watch them in action.
During the US Presidential visit of 2011, one of the tapestries ‘ The Landing at Bannow’ was put on display at Farmleigh. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were taken aback with it, especially as the canvas featured a distant ancestor of the President - Hervey de Montmorency. According to Countess Ann Griffin-Bernstorff from the Ros Tapestry Project, the First Lady was particularly taken aback with the canvas. Apparently, she seized Barack Obama and told him he was not to go another inch anywhere without looking at it!
On my visit, I met three ladies - Francis Riley, Rosa Ronan and Kay Dolan, busily concentrating on their stitching but still finding time to laugh and tell me their story. Francis
still lives in Bristol but travels regularly to New Ross to work on her tapestry, while Rosa, and her husband, John Ronan, have been stitching on the project for fourteen years. Kay Dolan, originally from Manchester, loves sewing and teaches art herself. She’s still excited to be working on the latest addition to what can only be described as a wonderful historic community effort.
1. The Celts - An Island Fastness
The first of the huge fifteen panels depicts the tall, blonde paleaced Celts enthroning a King in a sacred wood. Along with the scene being illustrated, it’s important to pay great attention to the borders on the tapestries. In this one, for example, Celtic women soldiers - much feared by the Romans - can be seen. The brown and white bull of queen Maedb and her husband, can be seen confronting each other. Early Christian scenes are also depicted, with St Brendan sailing to America, and St. Bridget with her cross.
2. The Abduction of Dervogilla
This panel shows us the flight of Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster with Dervorgilla, wife of his enemy, Tiernan O’Rourke, King of Breffni. Even in these times, affairs and wife-stealing were not uncommon. However, under Brehon Law, Dermot would have to pay a fine of 100 ounces of gold to the injured husband. Dermot failed to comply, which possibly changed the course of Irish history.
3. The Normans Landing At Bannow
In answering Dermot’s call for help, this Tapestry re-creates the scene in May, 1169, when a small band of knights and heavily armed soldiers of Norman/ Welsh extraction landed quietly on Bannow Bay in South Wexford. An exciting tapestry full of colour, action and movement.
4. The Siege of Wexford
Looking down from a height, Dermot MacMurrough and Robert Fitzstephen, with their combined forces of Irish, Norman, Welsh and Flemish warriors bear down on the first target of their campaign - the Norse town of Wexford.
5. Battles in the Kingdom of Ossory
Dermot, The King of Ossory Mac Giolla Padraig, who presided of a region now known as Kilkenny, was a mortal enemy of Dermot MacMurrough. His army, smaller than that of the enemy, made their way to Freshford in Ossory in the summer of 1169, where bloody battle ensued
6. The Sheaf of Corn : the Distaff Descent
This tapestry introduces Aoife, Dermot King Of Leinster’s daughter, aged fourteen. She was taken to meet Henry II in Aquatine in 1167 to strike a deal which would see Henry’s vassal Richard Fitzgilbery de Clare assist Dermot in his struggle in Leinster. Richard (Strongbow) would not only have the Aoife in marriage, but the kingship of Leinster on Dermot’s death.
7. William Marshall: The Flower of Chivalry
This tapestry shows the three stages of William’s life, as a young-man he was tutor and guide to Henry, heir of Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. The second shows his valiant abilities on horseback and as an intrepid crusader. In the older stage, when William was nearly fifty, he was bestowed Isabel, the heiress of Dermot McMurrough as his wife by King Henry II.
8. The Marriage of Isabel de Clare and William Marshall.
The wedding tapestry is larger than the other, measuring 6.3 ft X 4.6 ft. It in fact shows two weddings. The top border shows the marriage of Strongbow and Aoife at Waterford, legitimising his claim to Leinster. Below is the marriage of William and Isabel in Surrey. She was eighteen, and he fifty, their union was very long and happy, granting them five sons and five daughters.
9. Ex voto Tintern Abbey: William Marshal’s stormy crossing to Ireland.
This panel depicts William on stormy seas declaring that if his life is spared in the crossing, he would build a Cistercian abbey where the ship made landfall. And so Tintern Abbey came to be built in Saltmills in South Wexford.
10. The Hunt in The Forest of Ros.
A wonderful display of the hunting forest and its wildlife William and Isabel are on horseback with their hounds.
11. Gothic Glory: the buiding of the parish church of St. Mary’s in 1210
It’s believed that it was Isabel who was responsible for the building of the church. Positioned high above the town, it was the grandest of the early-Irish gothic churches. In the panel, William can be seen looking at some draft drawings, although it’s thought he would have been illiterate and is being aided by a scholastic monk.
12. Evening: the Lighthouse at Hook Head
The lighthouse tower was built by the Marshals about 1207, recreating the bonfires that Welsh monks would have kept to alert shipping. The panel depicts the shipping at the time thrown around in the choppy waters as it leaves the open sea for the estuary and the new port of Ros.
13. The thriving port of Ros
Ros was trading busily at an international level as displayed in this busy tapestry. Wool was the main export from ros and in this panel. Italian bankers preside over the port’s financial affairs while a Cistercian monk carries wool packs to the ships.
14. The Walling of Ros - sixteen guilds protect their town
This tapestry shows the labour being carried out of men, women and children in digging out a mighty ditch of twenty feet in width, for a kilometre, around the town for protection. All sixteen of the town’s guilds took part.
15. Exchange: The Irish and the Normans Mingle at the Fair
This is the last tapestry currently completed, full of joviality on fair day with the customs of both the Irish and Normans. This article first appeared in Ireland’s Own