The Choir Doorway, Athassel Priory, County Tipperary, from the Nave

Title

Datec.1861

MediumWatercolour on paper

Dimensions

46.4 x 56 cm

Signedlower right: Edwd. Hayes R.H.A. (Irish Watercolours and Drawings in the National Gallery of Ireland, Adrian Le Harivel, ed., 1991)

Credit LinePresented, Miss Geoghegan, 1923

Object numberNGI.2728

DescriptionEdward Hayes studied at the Dublin Society's Schools, and was taught drawing by J.S. Alpenny (1787-1858). He was elected an Associate of the RHA in 1856, and became a full member in 1861. This scene is a good example of Hayes's later style. It is one of a series of views he produced of historical sites in County Tipperary, which reflect the ongoing public interest in antiquarian subjects. Depicted here is the ornate choir doorway of St. Edmund's priory, an Augustinian foundation, located on the west bank of the River Suir. The priory was attacked and burnt in 1447, leaving the nave roofless. It is now a National Monument in the care of the State.
Exhibition HistoryIrish Watercolours and Drawings, McMullen Museum of Art Boston College, Boston, 4 October 1993 – 5 December 1993