Generous donation of art works and heritage materials from Etain O’Malley

Etain O’Malley, the only daughter of the author Ernie O’Malley, born in Castlebar, and American artist, Helen Hooker O’Malley, who lived at various times in Burrishoole Lodge, Newport between 1938 and 1981, has made a generous donation of art works and heritage materials to County Mayo. These were items that had resided in the home of Ernie O’Malley and Helen Hooker O’Malley for some years. The donation was facilitated by Cormac O’Malley, (brother of Etain O’Malley), with Custom House Studios at Westport Quay.

Items include an important painting of imagery of Newport and Burrishoole which are by the English artist Stella Frost, donated to the Mayo County Council Art Collection.

Born in Manchester, Stella Frost is one of a number of women artists who worked in Ireland during the 1930s, 40s and 1950s. She lived in Dubin, and spent considerable time at her home in Achill. She made her Achill cottage available to artists and writers, many who made works there, including Mainie Jellett. She mixed with artists including Marie Howet, in Achill and Dublin and she was a frequent visitor to Burrishoole lodge. She painted in Achill and overseas.

She joined the Dublin Society of Painters c 1935, probably with the encouragement of her friends Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. Although not a regular exhibitor, she held her first solo exhibition at the Dublin Painter’s Gallery in St Stephen’s Green in October 1935. A review in the Irish Times called it a ‘remarkable exhibition’ and noted that images of Yugoslavia, Herzegovina and the Balearic Islands were included. The southern European landscape depicted in 'Red Earth' may be inspired by the mineral-red soil on Ibiza, and other Balearic Islands, which was historically used as pigment to make paint. Frost exhibited two paintings of Ibiza in the RHA of 1935 suggesting that she had recently visited the island. An article about Andorra published in the Irish Times in January 1927 is evidence that Frost wrote as well as painted, and in 1957 she edited the book 'A Tribute to Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett' which records her admiration of and friendship with the two artists.

The donation also includes a plaster cast bust of Ernie O’Malley by Helen Hooker (later O’Malley) made in NYC in 1934. This is donated to Mayo County Libraries. Helen Hooker (later O’Malley) later went on to execute a series of important portraits in Ireland – some now visible at the University of Limerick.

Donated to the Westport Historical Society at the Clew Bay Heritage centre at Westport Quay are a series of diary records dating from 1832-1910, from the Custom House at Westport Quay. These provide fascinating and vital first hand historical details of commerce, civil administration, employment and coastal trading, of the Custom services and the activities of the Coastguard, in Westport and Co Mayo. Ernie O'Malley and Helen Hooker O’Malley had a keen interest in heritage and historical materials and artefacts in Co Mayo and across the West of Ireland, collecting and documenting and photographing historical objects and sites. The receiving organisations have expressed their gratitude to Etain O’Malley for this thoughtful and important donation.

Pictured above were, from left: James Kelly, Westport Historical Society; Austin Vaughan, Mayo County Libraries; Margaret Adams, Chairperson, Custom House Studios; Ann Marie McGing, Mayo County Council Arts Officer and John McHugh, Custom House Studios, at the hand over of donated items from Etain O’Malley at Custom House Studios.