Mayo community to remember acclaimed Belgian impressionist

The community of Achill will pay tribute to its unique links with an acclaimed Belgian impressionist on the 40th anniversary of her death.

Achill landscapes make up the bulk of Marie Howet's 25 paintings in her monumental book, A La Source d'Ara, published in Paris on June 7, 1934, exactly 90 years ago, and her extraordinary island legacy will finally be celebrated there over the August bank holiday.

The famous Belgian Impressionist, whose work was acclaimed by none other than Henri Matisse, included in that book sumptuous island landscapes and portraits of many locals like Dooagh’s Annie McNulty (who carried her painting stool) and Eva O'Flaherty.

Marie Howet painted Gielty’'s pub and Slievemore too, all works undertaken in the months following her first visit in August 1929, when she arrived off a bus at the door of St Colman's Knitting Industries, now Abha Teangai. Howet revisited Dooagh on a score or more occasions over the decades, and loved the island dearly.

To mark the anniversary of that extraordinary 1934 publication, and to honour Howet’s unique half-century links with the island and to pay tribute to her artistic genius on the 40th anniversary of her death a celebration will take place on Achill in August. This celebration will include special guest speakers, experts on the above Parisienne masterwork, and on Howet’s incredible island body of work.

Author Mary J Murphy will also launch her third Achill-themed book called 'Achill Remembers Marie Howet'. A follow-on to ‘Achill Painters’, this detailed, thoroughly researched, full-colour monograph, brim-full of original material, will contain photos taken at Howet's grave and at many other locations in Belgium that were vital to her artistic evolution, plus many island paintings never seen on Achill before.

It includes contributions from Belgian and American family members and friends of Howet, who hosted Murphy in Belgium recently while she was tracing the painter's tenacious associations with the island.

Foremost of these connections was her indomitable 53-year friendship with the Burkes of the Brae, a heart-link copper-fastened by Anne Burke's inscribed Dooagh pebble which was laid on Howet's Libramont grave. Anne's mother, 'Brigitte' McNulty Burke, formed a forever-friendship with Howet after the artist painted her portrait as a little girl in 1929. John 'Twin' and Mary McNamara, lifelong admirers of Howet, also sent a piece of tributary amethyst from Keem, now also resting on Howet’s grave beside Anne Burke's tiny Dooagh beach stone.

Eight specially commissioned biographical banners charting Howet's adventurous, travel-filled life will also form part of this unique August anniversary tribute event.