Legendary Oylegate artist John Ger Kehoe (69) dies

THE artistic community around the county mourned the loss of a legendary figure last week with the passing of John Ger Kehoe at the age of 69. John was well-known as an artist and lived in Oylegate for over 40 years, where he established the Oylegate Art Gallery on the site of the old post office. His work has been immortalised after a paiting of his ‘The Men of Vinegar Hill’ was hung in Wexford County Council’s headquarters as part of the county art collection.

John was born in Dublin in 1948 to his parents, the late John Joseph Kehoe from Ferns and Ann Kehoe from Scarawalsh, who served as postmistress in Oylegate until 1988.

He was educated at Synge Street CBS in Dublin and later went on to university in UCD before working as a teacher at Belvedere College, Dublin and the Vocational School in Wexford, eventually moving into the Civil Service. Passionate about the arts, John was a selftaught painter of some repute. Perhaps his best loved work is Vinegar Hilll 1798, inspired by Wexford historian Nicholas Furlong and his works still proudly hang in the likes of County Hall and the Friary in Wexford town. He also had a great passion for writing and published a book of self-penned plays written over a number of years and a collection of Poetry back in 1993.

John’s funeral Mass takes place this morning (Tuesday) at 11 a.m. in St David’s Church Oylegate. Burial will take place afterwards in Ferns Cemetery. May he rest in peace.