The Ballad Of Paul & Mabel

Paul and Mabel. Courtesy of RHA.

oung Jim Smith from the Greystones Archaeological & Historical Society has sent over a pigeon with the details of this month’s talk.

Portrait of the young-ish artist…

And, as always, it’s a doozy, charting the love story of two celebrated artists who finally came to rest in an Enniskerry cemetery.

Which sounds like a poem just waiting to happen.

Here are the details…

The November meeting of the Greystones Archaeological & Historical Society will take place at the Family Centre beside Holy Rosary Church at 8.30pm on Thursday 21 November. The speaker will be Paul Flynn, whose subject will be “Picture of Romance: The Lives of Artists Paul & Mabel Henry (nee Young)”.

Under the Creative Ireland Programme (2018), the Schoolhouse for Art, Enniskerry, in collaboration with visual artist Paul Flynn, and with support from local historian Michael Seery, engaged in an investigative project looking at the romantic lives of 20th Century artists.

Paul Henry is one of Ireland’s most recognised landscape painters. He and English-born Mabel Young, also an artist, met while she was holidaying at Kilmacanogue, spending much of their married lives in Bray. Both are buried in St. Patrick’s Church, Enniskerry. This talk celebrates the lives and love stories of both of these formidable, 20th century, Wicklow-based artists.

Paul Flynn himself was born in Ireland, and has studied colour and images in detail on a professional level for many years. His art is influenced by Irish landscape, culture, writers, storytellers, the people and all aspects of Irish life. His work forms part of many private, public and corporate collections in Europe, America, Australia and Asia.

Taking place at Kilian Family Centre on Thursday, November 21st at 8.30pm, admission is just €2, to cover costs. You can find out more about the GAHS gang here.