Illustrations offer a glimpse into a Wicklow of the past
ALMOST 50 FASCINATING ILLUSTRATIONS INCLUDED IN NEW ONLINE COLLECTION
History and art enthusiasts alike can enjoy a glimpse of the Co Wicklow of the past thanks to a new series of illustrations included in an online database created by NUI Galway.
Ireland Illustrated is a database of over 500 images of Ireland – almost 50 of them pertaining to County Wicklow – from the period of 1680 to 1860 depicting how travellers viewed the country over the two centuries.
The project was led by Professor Jane Conroy and the online database features woodcuts, water colours, engravings and other illustrations, with related text, drawn from more than 50 manuscript and printed works, and highlighting several neglected or rarely accessible sources. Many of the pictures in the database have rarely, if ever, been seen by the public.
Wicklow highlights include an illustration of The Meeting of the Waters, Avoca, created in 1837 by Thomas Creswick and engraved by James Tibbits Willmore. It depicts a number of men and women enjoying a picnic on the banks of the Avoca River surrounded by woodland. There is also a depiction of Lough Dan with an angler in the foreground and a boat nearby with two fishermen. The lake is surrounded by moutains in this illustration created by John Kirkwood. Other areas featured include Glendalough, The Scalp (which includes a view of the Sugarloaf mountain), Enniskerry, Greystones and Bray. According to Professor Conroy, it is expected that the database will attract a wide range of users.
‘We think Ireland Illustrated will be attractive to a wide range of users: people curious about their locality, art historians looking at a particular artist’s work, or the development of fashions and techniques in landscape art,’ she said.
‘Historians of the book should find it an interesting case study of how illustrations became integrated into travel writing before the age of photography. Specialists of travel literature will be able to trace the different ways that travellers got involved with the realities of life in Ireland, or how they constructed in their minds a picture of the country they wanted to see,’ said Prof Conroy.
She said that finding the unexpected things that caught the attention of travellers was one of the pleasures of working on this project.
Ireland Illustrated provides user-friendly access to the images as people can search by region, townland, historical site, theme or keyword.
Each image is accompanied by a full description and the context in the travel book or manuscript in which the illustration originally appeared. The records include information about the individuals who created these works and shed light on the interactions between authors, artists and publishers.
The online database is hosted by NUI Galway’s Moore Institute and was created by researchers and IT specialists, with the support of libraries in Ireland and abroad, in particular that of the National Library of Ireland and the James Hardiman Library at NUI Galway.
To view Ireland Illustrated, visit: https://ttce. nuigalway.ie/irelandillustrated/