'The human traffic on O'Connell Street, watched over by an angelic harp'.
At Trinity College this rebellious student reads Brendan Behan while the others are engrossed with Shaw, Wilde et al.
'Often, in Dublin, it is considered more sporting to loose your shirt than to keep it on. Hence the popularity of horses.'
'Tears flow easy in a Dublin pub, but not even the heartbreaking songs from a brendanbehanish bard can truly water the beer.'
"It's Guinness!" O'Connell Bridge and the Liffey June 1962 (unpublished)
The Quays
Merrion Square
'Ireland is poor because it is infested by tricky thieves called leprechauns, who diligently hold up the exchequer in broad fairy light. As greedy as their four-footed helpers, they bury their loot in crocks at the rainbow's end.'
'With his head not quite tucked underneath his arm, Dublin's logomachic chronicler, James Joyce, haunts the Martello tower at Sandycove. As everyone recalls, the opening scene of his 783-page ulyssiad unravels here-a conversation of sorts between stately, plump Black Mulligan and moody, broody Stephen Dadalus.'
'The Antic Arts- Dublin's Lusty Theatre'
Searle illustrated this report by S. J. Perelman on 'the haunted manor of Poltrooney'.
HOLIDAY magazine 1957 January
pg 24 'Green Power: the Irish Pub Invasion' by Mary Blume
Drawn for HOLIDAY but unpublished
6 comments:
Thank you, Matt. These are quite extraordinary, as always!
You're welcome. Appreciate the feedback. They're real beauties aren't they- I'm wondering if Ronald actually went to Ireland or if these are more like 'Rocking Chair' observations?
Oh, I'm pretty certain the Holiday drawings were made on the scene.
Speaking as a resident, I think they were made on location. The house on the left in the 'Merrion Square,' image is actually where Oscar WIlde was born. I wonder was Searle aware of this - he must have been.
The tallest monument in the O Connell Street image was of Nelson's Pillar, it was blown up in 1966 by the IRA and has since been replaced by a horrendous stainless steel spike.
Wonderful to see these, thanks for putting them up.
I consulted Russell Davies' biog of Searle and it confirms that he did indeed take a trip to Dublin in 1962.
Conor- thanks for the info. I saw that steel spike a couple years back-I wondered about its history.
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