THE GREAT SUGAR LOAF PAINTED BY GEORGE BARRET Sr.

GEORGE BARRET Sr. (1730-1784)
The Great Sugar Loaf (501 m-1,644 ft)
Ireland

In Powerscourt House, Co. Wicklow with the Great Sugarloaf mountain, 1760, oil on canvas, 

73,3 x 97,1 cm, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon collection

The mountain
The Great Sugar Loaf  (501 m-1,644 ft),  not to be confused with Sugar Loaf  in Brazil or with Sugar Loaf Mountain in USA neither with  the Pain de Sucre in France...  is the 404th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderinscale, however, being below 600 m it does not rank on the Vandeleur-Lynam or Hewitt scales].  The mountain is in the far northeastern section of the Wicklow Mountains, in Ireland, and overlooks the village of Kilmacanogue. The profile of the mountain means it can be mistaken for a dormant volcano. It owes its distinctive shape, however, to the erosion-resistant metamorphosed deep-sea sedimentary deposit from which its quartzite composition was derived.
According to Irish academic Paul Tempan, the term "sugarloaf" is widely applied in Britain and Ireland to hills of conical form, in much the same way that the name pain de sucre is used in France. Tempan also notes that there is a widespread misconception that the term refers to a kind of bread, when it refers in fact to the stalagmite-like form in which sugar was sold up until the 19th-century, prior to the advent of granulated sugar. The traditional method for making a sugarloaf was complex, involving repeated purifications, moulding and a leaching process gradually to refine the mass of sugar, by ridding it of its associated molasses and eventually all trace of colour, leaving it a glistening white. This form of sugar is still used in the German alcoholic drink, Feuerzangenbowle. Tempan notes that a 1935 article by Eoin MacNeill in the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (JRSAI), on placenames mentioned in the Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, suggested that Irish: Ó Cualann could refer to "sheep of Cualu", but considered it unlikely.

The Painter
George Barret Sr. RA was an Irish landscape artist best known for his oil paintings, but also sometimes produced watercolours. He left Ireland in 1762 to move to London where he soon gained recognition as a leading artist of the period. He exhibited at the Society of Artists of Great Britain and was able to gain patronage from many leading art collectors. Barrett with other leading members left the Society in 1768 to found the Royal Academy, where he continued to exhibit until 1782. Barrett appears to have travelled extensively in England including the Lake District and the Isle of Wight, Wales, and Scotland to undertake commissions for his patrons. He suffered from asthma and this caused him to move in 1772 to Westbourne Green, at the time a country village to the west of Paddington. While he earned considerable quantities of money from his paintings, he has been described as being ‘'feckless'’ with money. He was helped in 1782 by Edmund Burke, with whom he had become friends when Burke attended Trinity College, Dublin. On Burke's recommendation he obtained the appointment of master painter of Chelsea Hospital, a post he held until his death in 1784. At the time of his death his widow and children were left destitute, but the Royal Academy granted her a pension of thirty pounds a year.

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2022 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau

MUCKISH MOUNTAIN PAINTED BY HENRY HOWARD

 

 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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2020 - Wandering Vertexes
A blog by Francis Rousseau

AGHLA MORE PAINTED BY JAMES HUMBERT CRAIG

JAMES HUMBERT CRAIG (1878-1944)

Aghla More / Eachla Mör  (584 m -1,916 ft)

Ireland

 In Muckish Mountain, oil on canvas, 1935

The mountain 

Aghla More / Eachla Mör  (584 m -1,916 ft) is a mountain in County Donegal, Ireland. The mountain is the third most southern and fourth highest of the mountain chain, called the 'Seven Sisters' by localshas several names as Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla More, Mackoght, also known as 'little Errigal' and Errigal !  

The Seven Sisters are part of the Derryveagh Mountain range.

The painter 

James Humbert Craig was an Irish painter. Craig was born in Belfast to Alexander Craig, a tea merchant, and a Swiss mother, Marie Metzenen, from a family with a painting tradition. He was raised in County Down and maintained a studio at Cushendun, County Antrim. Craig abandoned a career in business, briefly attended the Belfast School of Art, and became a mostly self-taught painter of landscapes. Among his favorite panoramas were Donegal, Connemara and the Glens of Antrim. Craig was elected to the Royal Ulster Academy and the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1928. He also exhibited at the Fine Art Society in London. 

 His landscapes helped inspire artists like Maurice Canning Wilks.

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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...

by Francis Rousseau 

AGHLA MORE / EACHLA MÖR BY PAUL HENRY

 PAUL HENRY (1876-1958) 

Aghla More / Eachla Mör  (584 m -1,916 ft)

Ireland

The mountain 

Aghla More / Eachla Mör  (584 m -1,916 ft) is a mountain in County Donegal, Ireland. The mountain is the third most southern and fourth highest of the mountain chain, called the 'Seven Sisters' by locals (Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla More, Mackoght (also known as 'little Errigal') and Errigal. The Seven Sisters are part of the Derryveagh Mountain range.

The painter
Paul Henry was an Irish artist noted for depicting the West of Ireland landscape and particularly landscapes of Achill Island and Connemara in a spare post-impressionist style. Born in Belfast, Ireland, the son of a Baptist minister, Paul Henry began studying at Methodist College Belfast in 1882. During this period he first began drawing regularly. At the age of fifteen he moved to the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He studied art in Belfast before going to Paris in 1898 to study at the Académie Julian and at Whistler's studio. He married the painter Grace Henry in 1903 and returned to Ireland in 1910. From then until 1919 he lived on , where he learned to capture the peculiar interplay of light and landscape specific to the West of Ireland. In 1919 he moved to Dublin and in 1920 was one of the founders of the Society of Dublin Painters.  In the 1920s and 1930s Paul Henry was Ireland's best known artist, one who had a considerable influence on the popular image of the west of Ireland. Although he seems to have ceased experimenting with his technique after he left Achill and his range is limited, he created a large body of fine images whose familiarity is a testament to its influence. The National Gallery of Ireland held a major exhibition of his work in 2004.
A painting by Paul Henry was featured on an episode of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, broadcast on 12 November 2006. The painting was given a value of approximately £40,000 - £60,000 by the roadshow. However, due to the buoyancy of the Irish art market at that time, it sold for €260,000 on 5 December 2006 in James Adams' and Bonhams' joint Important Irish Art sale.

MOUNT ERRIGAL PAINTED BY PAUL HENRY

PAUL HENRY (1877-1958)

 Mount Errigal  (751m - 2, 464 ft)

Ireland 

The mountain

Mount Errigal  (751m - 2, 464 ft) called in Irish An Earagail, possibly meaning "oratory" is a mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains, the tallest peak in County Donegal, and the 76th tallest peak in Ireland.  Errigal is also the most southern, steepest and highest of the mountain chain, called the "Seven Sisters" by locals. The Seven Sisters includes Muckish, Crocknalaragagh, Aghla Beg, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla More, Mackoght and Errigal. The nearest peak is Mackoght, which is also known as Little Errigal or Wee Errigal (Irish: an Earagail Bheag). Errigal is well known for the pinkish glow of its quartzite in the setting sun. Another noted quality is the ever-changing shape of the mountain depending on what direction you view it from. Errigal was voted 'Ireland's Most Iconic Mountain' by Walking & Hiking Ireland in 2009.
Climbing
The mountain is most often climbed from the carpark off the R251 road. The route initially starts off by crossing heavily eroded and boggy land towards a visible track through the shiny scree from where the ascent proper starts. After reaching the summit, people usually walk the short but exposed walk along ‘One Man’s Pass’ which leads across to the second and lower of the twin summits. No special equipment is needed to climb the mountain, but caution is advised.

The painter
Paul Henry was an Irish artist noted for depicting the West of Ireland landscape and particularly landscapes of Achill Island and Connemara in a spare post-impressionist style. Born in Belfast, Ireland, the son of a Baptist minister, Paul Henry began studying at Methodist College Belfast in 1882. During this period he first began drawing regularly. At the age of fifteen he moved to the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He studied art in Belfast before going to Paris in 1898 to study at the Académie Julian and at Whistler's studio. He married the painter Grace Henry in 1903 and returned to Ireland in 1910. From then until 1919 he lived on , where he learned to capture the peculiar interplay of light and landscape specific to the West of Ireland. In 1919 he moved to Dublin and in 1920 was one of the founders of the Society of Dublin Painters.  In the 1920s and 1930s Paul Henry was Ireland's best known artist, one who had a considerable influence on the popular image of the west of Ireland. Although he seems to have ceased experimenting with his technique after he left Achill and his range is limited, he created a large body of fine images whose familiarity is a testament to its influence. The National Gallery of Ireland held a major exhibition of his work in 2004.
A painting by Paul Henry was featured on an episode of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, broadcast on 12 November 2006. The painting was given a value of approximately £40,000 - £60,000 by the roadshow. However, due to the buoyancy of the Irish art market at that time, it sold for €260,000 on 5 December 2006 in James Adams' and Bonhams' joint Important Irish Art sale.
Source: 
- Paul Henry and Achill Island

BENBULBIN BY IRISH PAINTERS

BenBulbin (526 m) by Kate Kern Mundie, 2010

BenBulbin (526m), Ireland, by Jim Mc Parltin

BENBULBIN or BINN GHULBAIN  (526 m - 1,726ft)
 Ireland

The mountain 
Benbulbin (526 m- 1,726ft) sometimes spelled Ben Bulben or Benbulben (from the Irish: Binn Ghulbain), is a large rock formation in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, in an area sometimes called "Yeats Country". Benbulbin is a protected site, designated as a County Geological Site by Sligo County Council.
Benbulbin is the setting of several Irish legends. It is said to be one of the hunting grounds of the Fianna, a band of warriors who are said to have lived in the 3rd century. One example is a story in which the warrior Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Diarmuid) is tricked by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) into fighting an enchanted boar, which later kills the warrior by piercing his heart with its tusk. The mountain is said to be Diarmuid and Gráinne's resting place. Also, in the 6th century, St. Columba fought a battle on the plain below Benbulbin at Cúl Dreimhne (Cooladrumman) for the right to copy a Psalter he had borrowed from St. Finnian.
Benbulbin was shaped during the ice age, when Ireland was under glaciers. Originally it was a large plateau. Glaciers moving from the northeast to southwest shaped it into its present distinct formation.
Benbulbin, and the Dartry Mountains as a whole, are composed of limestones on top of mudstones. These rocks formed in the area approximately 320 million years ago in a shallow sea. Uppermost in the limestone layer is a thicker, harder limestone called the Dartry Limestone Formation. Below this is a thinner transitional limestone formation – the Glencar Limestone Formation. Further down, the lower slopes consist of shaly mudstone known as the Benbulben Shale Formation. Scree deposits are found near the base. Fossils exist throughout the layers of the mountains. All layers have many fossilised sea shells. The shale layer also holds some corals. Barytes was mined at Glencarbury near Benbulbin in the Dartry range between 1894 and 1979.
Benbulbin is an established walking destination.  If climbed by the north face, it is a dangerous climb. That side bears the brunt of the high winds and storms that come in from the Atlantic Ocean. However, if approached by the south side, it is an easy walk, since that side slopes very gently. Upon reaching the summit, the climber is rewarded with a magnificent view over the coastal plain of north Co. Sligo and the Atlantic ocean.  The land adjacent to the impressive western edge of the ridge is privately owned farmland and not accessible to the general public. However, there is a paved path up the south face to the east near Glencar Waterfall just over the County Leitrim border.

Benbulbin features prominently in the poetry of W. B. Yeats, after whom Yeats Country is named. County Sligo is considered integral to the poet's work. The mountain is one of the destinations on the Passport Trail of the poet's life.

Yeats wrote the following in The Celtic Twilight:

“

But for Ben Bulben and Knocknarea, Many a poor sailor'd be cast away.

”

Source:
- Ben Bulbin mountain