Paul KeenanConnemara Marble: Ireland’s National Gem by Stephen Walsh (O’Brien Press, €14.99 / £12.50)
Barbara Pierce
In Ireland we all know Connemara Marble and recognise it in its different forms, but perhaps we no longer see its beauty.
The first piece I remember was a fist sized rock, picked up on the roadside near Recess aged about eight. I loved the soft green visible in the rough rock and tried to polish it. Later I remember dark green rosary beads sliding heavily through my fingers maybe adding gravitas to my pleading.
The author, Stephan Walsh’s family have been making Connemara marble rosaries and jewellery since 1943, so it is very likely that they had made mine.
Walsh has been involved with the family business all his life and is fascinated by every aspect of this marble, formed five hundred million years ago.
A narrow band runs under Connemara, surfacing in only a few locations, where its colours from mint green to darkest serpentine ‘reflect the shades of the landscape’.
The author briefly outlines the history of this remote part of our country – we are not the first to use these green beads, some were found in 5,000-year-old Neolithic remains!
He tells of St Patrick’s journey through in 441AD and of the coming of the Normans who ousted native families such as the O’Flahertys. Their lands were confiscated in the 17th Century and given to Anglo Norman Martin and D’Arcy families, who dominated the “social, political and economic life of Connemara for the next two hundred years”.
Photographs
In the early 19th Century, the prosperity of the British Empire gave rise to the construction of many important buildings, both public and private, embellished with marble panelling, columns and floors.
Sourcing marble in Ireland, which was a colony, saved on both tax and transport. To profit from this the Martin and D’Arcy families opened the quarries which are still yielding marble for the Walsh family today.
Later green marble souvenirs were made for travellers including King Edward VII, whose visit to Connemara in 1903 is described in most entertaining detail.
In 1982, the author bought one of the old quarries, Lissoughter, near Recess. This marble has been used by his company to make many beautiful artefacts and jewellery. It has also been utilised by an Italian company in the creation of stunning modern interiors.
There are many beautiful and interesting photographs, both old and modern, unfortunately, not all are labelled. This is a most interesting and enjoyable book and it is very good to see a traditional Irish craft and company thriving both here and abroad.