{"id":397004,"date":"2026-03-21T18:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T18:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/397004\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T18:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T18:29:14","slug":"harry-clarke-plaque-marks-birthplace-of-dublin-genius-of-light-and-colour-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/397004\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Clarke plaque marks birthplace of Dublin \u2018genius of light and colour\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A plaque commemorating the birthplace of Irish stained-glass artist and illustrator Harry Clarke<\/a>, the \u201cgenius of light and colour\u201d, has been unveiled in Dublin<\/a>\u2019s north inner city.<\/p>\n

Clarke, whose works include the stained-glass windows of Bewley\u2019s Caf\u00e9 on Grafton Street, was described on Saturday as an \u201cextraordinarily original and talented artist\u201d.<\/p>\n

Born at 33 North Frederick Street on St Patrick\u2019s Day, 1889, his art spans more than 130 stained glass windows across Ireland and internationally.<\/p>\n

Among his other well-known pieces are the windows of the Honan Chapel at University College Cork and the Eve of St Agnes in Dublin\u2019s Hugh Lane Gallery.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the event, Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam described 33 North Frederick Street as \u201cthe house where the genius of light and colour first practised his art\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"LordLord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam unveils the commemorative plaque unveiling marking the birthplace and studio of stain-glass artist Harry Clarke at 33 North Frederick Street, Dublin. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

\u201cHarry Clarke\u2019s work represents one of the most remarkable chapters in the history of Irish art, and his legacy continues to illuminate churches, cultural spaces and public imagination across Ireland and beyond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Clarke died at the age of 41 in 1931, some two years after being diagnosed with tuberculosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite his life being cut short\u201d, the Fine Gael councillor said Clarke\u2019s artistic legacy \u201cendures as a cornerstone of Irish cultural identity\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s unveiling ensures that his contribution will be remembered and celebrated in the very place where his remarkable journey began,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

An unveiling of the plaque on Saturday at the property, which is occupied by a dental practice, was attended by some of Clarke\u2019s family members, including his granddaughter, Sunniva Sheridan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up not actually knowing the person, because he died when daddy was young. We knew him through his work,\u201d she said, recalling \u201calways visiting churches\u201d to see his pieces.<\/p>\n

The 78-year-old, who lives in Co Wicklow, described a \u201csense of pride\u201d of both her grandfather and grandmother, Margaret Clarke, \u201cwho herself was a wonderful artist\u201d.<\/p>\n

Barbara Dawson, director of the Hugh Lane Gallery, which hosts the Eve of St Agnes, described Clarke as an \u201cextraordinarily original and talented artist\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe really revived, in a very original and imaginative way, certain tropes of Celtic art and tracery,\u201d she said, adding: \u201cHe had both the technique and the imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted a \u201ccertain eroticism in his work that was a joy of the natural world, a joy of the human figure, a joy of love\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he did was marvellous. He was international, but also drew heavily on Irish landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dawson said the commemoration is \u201chugely fitting\u201d.<\/p>\n

The plaque marking Clarke\u2019s birthplace was erected following a proposal to Dublin City Council\u2019s commemorations and naming committee.<\/p>\n

The committee\u2019s chair, Green Party councillor Donna Cooney, said the scheme commemorates those who have made a \u201csignificant contribution to the life of Dublin\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A plaque commemorating the birthplace of Irish stained-glass artist and illustrator Harry Clarke, the \u201cgenius of light and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":397005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[75],"tags":[52,18,117,162793,19,17],"class_list":["post-397004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-dublin","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-harry-clarke","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116268588646147900","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/397005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}