HENRY HOWARD (1769-1847)
Muckish (667 m - 2,189 ft)
Ireland
The mountain Muckish (667 m - 2,189 ft) in Irish an Mhucais meaning" pig's back" is a distinctive flat-topped mountain in the Derryveagh Mountains of County Donegal, Ireland. At it is the third-highest peak in the Derryveagh Mountains and the 163rd highest in Ireland. Muckish is also the most northern and second highest of the mountain chain called the "Seven Sisters" by locals. The Seven Sisters are Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla More, Mackoght, and Errigal.
A large cairn (man-made mound of stones), visible from sea level, can be found on the summit plateau. In 2000, a large metal cross was placed on the summit, replacing a wooden one that had been destroyed in a storm. The new cross was placed much closer to the northern end of the mountain, while the cairn is towards the south.
Falcarragh, Moyra, Dunfanaghy, and Creeslough are the villages nearest to Muckish. On the Falcarragh side lies Mám na Mucaise("gap of Muckish") in which one finds Droichead na nDeor ("bridge of tears"). It was from this bridge that many thousands of Cloughaneely emigrants bade farewell to family members.
Percy French, the famous poet, visited the district at the beginning of the 20th century and while in Falcarragh Hotel he wrote a poem called "An Irish Mother".
The painter
Henry Howard (1769- 1847) was an early 19th-century British portrait and history painter. While his history paintings were in a neo-classical academic style following Flaxman and others, his portraits continued the general tradition of English 18th-century portraiture and many of his portraits are in the National Gallery. His history paintings are hard to find on public display but his ceiling for the dining-room of the Sir John Soane's Museum, an Aurora adapted from Guido Reni (1837), can be seen obliquely.
In addition to his portraiture and historical painting, Howard worked on many decorative works. In 1805, a Mr. Hibbert commissioned him to paint a Cupid and Psyche frieze in 1814, along with several other artists. He painted large transparencies, apparently to be lighted from behind, for the "Grand Revolving Temple of Concord" built in Green Park for the visit of several sovereigns to celebrate (prematurely) the defeat of Napoleon. He also worked on a Solar System for the ceiling of Stafford House in 1835, then housing a superb art collection open to the public, as well as several other ceiling projects.
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A blog by Francis Rousseau
