The leaders of Ireland’s 1916 Rising against British rule have been turfed out of one of the country’s top golf clubs – in a fund raising move.
Portraits of seven signatories to Ireland’s proclamation have been up for sale by the new management at the world famous Druids Glen golf resort in County Wicklow.
The Robert Ballagh paintings, including one of Padraig Pearse, were commissioned by owner Hugo Flinn when he opened the club in 1995.
They have adorned the walls of the Woodstock House clubhouse since then but now they are to be sold as part of a $3million refurbishment project, much to artist Ballagh’s annoyance.
“Sadly, Hugo is no longer with us and it seems the new management have decided to divest the house of these proudly nationalist emblems,” Ballagh told the Irish Independent.
“The portraits of the 1916 signatories have been there since Druids Glen opened and I believe they should remain there.
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“Hugo was a patriot and noted that if you played golf at Royal Lytham & St Annes, or anywhere in England, they’d have the Union Jack flying overhead and a picture of the queen in the clubhouse.
“He felt anyone playing golf in Druids Glen should know they were in Ireland, and in a republic.”
Ballagh has also criticised the club’s decision to cash in on his paintings, now on sale at prices of up to $12,000 and $15,000.
“I liked Hugo. I did all of this work at very, very cheap rates but if you look at estimates in the catalogue for the exhibition, they are not selling at cheap rates,” said Ballagh.
Auctioneer Ian Whyte, who will handle the sale next week, said the portraits are no longer suitable at Druids Glen.
Whyte said: “The portraits of the 1916 leaders do not suit the ambience of a golf club.
“Let’s put it this way. They (Druids Glen) are trying to attract business from around the world so this really doesn’t gel and also the resort is currently undergoing some refurbishment and it was felt that the collection of over 30 very similar portraits needed to be reduced.
“It is probable that the resort will use the funds raised by the sale of the decommissioned works to acquire new paintings by contemporary Irish artists thus continuing the tradition of artistic patronage started by Druids Glen founder Hugo Flinn.”
A spokeswoman for Druids Glen golf club told the Independent that the paintings are being sold ahead of ‘a €2m refurbishment of the resort’.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.roryobrien | Nov 27, 2011, 02:02 PM EST
This has nothing to do with golfing types frowning on the men of 1916. Druid's Glen is running on empty and the managment will need to sell a lot more than Bobby Ballagh's paintings.
odonnell521 | Nov 23, 2011, 07:53 AM EST
“Let’s put it this way. They (Druids Glen) are trying to attract business from around the world so this really doesn’t gel . . . " translation, rich capitalists don't like having anti-capitalist revolutionaries looking over their shoulders when they're drinking expensive scotch and talking about their latest problems with the "little people" who work in their factories.
IrelandNorth | Nov 23, 2011, 07:29 AM EST
The class of operators who frequent such exclusive golf clubs are hardly revolutionary material. Descendents of rebels invariably become ashamed of the audacity of their forebears for demanding freedom, having become cross contaminated by the diseasse of respectability. On this, Groucho Marx was right.
CitizenWhy | Nov 22, 2011, 03:27 PM EST
The GAA is the only organization in Ireland with an honorable history.
Mercenary | Nov 21, 2011, 06:58 PM EST
'...this really doesn't gel'? Ian Whyte knows damn well he wouldn't get away with a statement like that in any other SELF-RESPECTING country. I've never in my life been so happy to have given up golf.
sirpeter | Nov 21, 2011, 06:17 PM EST
Georgie Boy don't be such an idiot.Gaelic games are played in 90% of Irish schools and the immigrant kids are playing them just like the Irish kids.They have Irish accents at this stage.They learn about all things Irish and will no doubt be proud of their country and Irish culture.This strange Anglo/Irish hybrid known as West Brits actively refuse to assimilate fully and always had their own West Brit clubs and schools.They have always been the enemy of Irish culture.West Brits kids are thought to pick up a hockey stick and a cricket bat not a hurley and Gaelic football.
Murph46 | Nov 21, 2011, 05:51 PM EST
George Dillon ,I in fact have been reading your posts but just who as an individual group is doing this .We have laws against hate crimes in the U.S. This insidious attack in two areas is like what is happening here,minorities fringe groups taking over.
seanomelbourne | Nov 21, 2011, 05:09 PM EST
The west brits are at it again
CitizenWhy | Nov 21, 2011, 01:05 PM EST
Perhaps Kenny and Merkel and Cameron really did talk about getting Ireland out of the Euro and into the Pound Sterling.
CitizenWhy | Nov 21, 2011, 01:03 PM EST
Appropriate move since Ireland is a colony once again.
merefalow | Nov 21, 2011, 12:23 PM EST
its a private golf club so i guess they can do as they wish,the way the republic was formed and by who should always have prominence and the people who wish to remove that statement should be asked if they are ashamed in some way,they have always been there,i feel they should have been left for the many foreign visitors to learn a little of irish history..
GeorgeDillon | Nov 21, 2011, 12:16 PM EST
Murph46: Haven't you been reading my posts? I've been telling Irish Americans for over a year to be aware that their ethnic heritage is dissolving, even while the Irish Americans continue with their silly blarney and baloney.
Murph46 | Nov 21, 2011, 11:14 AM EST
Celebrate the Black & Tans remove history of the Uprising,who the hell is taking over my ancestral home? It's a bleeding crime!
cillowen | Nov 21, 2011, 10:37 AM EST
commonwealth yearnings in their breasts.
fincarn | Nov 21, 2011, 10:16 AM EST
For once I taught this was goimg to be a REAL story, but no just more publicity paid for by a person with money in hard times looking for people who belive in the cause to bail him out. The Paintings were made in 1995. Now give me somthing just before the leaders were killed, thats a whole different story