Master of the canvas who put Killarney in the frame

ART ENTHUSIAST JOHNNY MCGUIRE TALKS TO STEPHEN FERNANE ABOUT ONE OF KILLARNEY’S FAMOUS ARTISTS OF YESTERYEAR

EVERY VISITOR THAT CAME TO KILLARNEY AT THAT TIME WOULD HAVE VISITED HIS STUDIO, AND A LOT OF THEM BOUGHT HIS PAINTINGS

BORN in Fossa in 1909, Séan O’Connor was one of the foremost artists of his generation, whose work focused on the natural beauty of the lakes, mountains and rivers of his native Killarney and the painted coastal landscapes of places such as Dingle and the Iveragh peninsula.

In the 1940s, Séan hosted an exhibition at his studio in the Town Hall, Killarney, a part of town where he had an artistic presence lasting over 50 years. Thanks to local art enthusiast Johnny McGuire of The Bricín Restaurant in High Street, Killarney, where some of O’Connor’s paintings are on display, his work is now being showcased to a new generation of locals and visitors to the famous town.

“Séan sold his paintings commercially all over the world. Every visitor that came to Killarney at that time would have visited his studio, and a lot of them bought paintings,” said Johnny. “We have inherited a few of his paintings at the Bricín, and we’ll be putting them on display on the restaurant’s window. It’s basically a pop-up exhibition that will be running for the next few weeks until the end of July,” he added.

Séan O’Connor has two daughters that live away from Killarney but frequently visit their ancestral home. They provided Johnny with the latest images of their father at work (above) on the lakeshore in Killarney as a young artist, and in his studio (left).

It’s the first time the photos have been made public.

“This will be our third exhibition in the restaurant window. It keeps our windows alive, and it’s better than boarding them up during the COVID-19 crisis. It’ll be nice for people walking around town to view them,” Johnny said.

“Our exhibitions started with Fisher’s paintings from the 18th century; we have a Killarney transport exhibition from 1899, and now we’re moving to the 1940s with Séan O’Connor. We’ve covered a lengthy time-line where everything from pandemics, famine and war occurred, and yet we’re still in business as a town,” Johnny said.

Séan O’Connor was educated at St Brendan’s College and attended both the National College of Art in Dublin and the Crawford College of Art in Cork. He was still painting each day at the time of his death in 1992. He was a member of the Watercolour Society of Ireland and an associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy, regularly showcasing at their annual exhibitions. He is best known for his masterful skills as a water colourist, but also painted using oils in the earlier years of his career.

Séan O’Connor was also a member of committees that promoted Killarney’s tourism and heritage, including a Trustee of Muckross House. He was also active in the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society, producing an original drawing each year for the cover of the Society’s journal.

A rare photo of Killarney artist Séan O’Connor at work in his studio in the Town Hall in Killarney. Séan worked and held exhibitions at his study for over 50 years, and it was a focal point for visitors to the town. Local art enthusiast Johnny McGuire (right) is putting some of Séan’s work on display in the window of The Bricín Restaurant in Killarney as a part of his ‘lockdown’ exhibitions during COVID-19. TOP: Séan O’Connor on the shores of a lake in Killarney working on one of his many paintings.