The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-06-09
IRISH GRAVES IN ENGLAND.
BY MICHAEL MAcDONAGH.
WILLIAM MULREADY, R. A.

WILLIAM MULREADY, R. A.
The subject of this paper occupied q
very eminent position as an artist during
the half century proceeding his death,
in 1862. He was born in Ireland, the
son of a poor Irish tradesman, and
though probably the subject of not one
of his pictures Is essentially Irish, he
merits all our honor as an Irishman who
in spite of adverse circumstances reached
height in artistic circles which genius
only could have enabled him to attain.
Mulready and Sir David Wilkle are two
of the greatest depictors on canvas Of
human nature in all it's moods among
those who walk through life over lowly
paths. The Irish artist is said to be
superior to bis Scotch brother; but we
in ireland, strange to say, know more OF
the scotchnan through his works than
Of the Irishman: This is altogether
owing to the fact that engravings OF
Wilkes pictures have been widely pub
lished; there are few who have not SEEN
through this agency his blind Fiddler, :"
ssThe Peep-o'-day Boy" ''Rent Day, ="
''Blindman'g Buff, ~ t'The Village Festi-
val;'7 whilst Mulready's 'The Fight En-
terrupted,' THE Widow" Return
ing from the Fair, - "The Seven Ages
have rarely indeed been seen in this
country, either in engraving or in the
original Even our National Gallery
has only one OF his works-'"The Broth
ers''-whlch gives but AN inadequate
idea Of his great powers.
Mnlready was born in Ennis, April
LIST, 1856. His father was leather
brooches maker-a money-making trade
in those days, but extinct a Roman
Catholic, and member Of the Irish
Volunteers. The parents removed to
Dublin when the boy was eighteen
months ola. and about the time he
reached his fourth year they went to
London, where the father, having had
through want OF support to gi7e up the
leather breaches trade, turned to making
and repairing boots in house in Lei
cester square. We are told that Null
ready, like all artists who have become
eminent, took to drawing at a very early
age, and with chalk used to decorate the
houses in the neighborhood in which he
lived. However, Notwithstanding these
early indications Of genius. he appears to
have been otherwise like most bows of
his age--in u word: boyish boy, given
to fun, froiic, fighting, and mischief OF
all kinds Most Of our knowledge OF the
early days of the artist life are got from
little work published in London, in
1905, with the title. THE Looking
Glass; a True History of the EARLY
Years Of III Artist, calculated to Awaken
She Emulation OF Yovng Persons OF Both
Sexes III the pursuit Of every laudable
attainment; particularly i'll the cultiya-
tion Of the Fine Arts. by Theophilus
&.Marcliffe." Mulready was the hero OF
the work, which was written by William
Goodwin father OF Mary Goodwin, Shell
ley's second wife) and was illustrated by
some specimens OF the artists earliest ef-
forts III drawing human figures and
animals. The writer says
81 do not wish to pass the young per-
son whose history I :s,n writing, though
I think his actions worthy Of record and
of praise, for saint or a fault}ess crea-
t,lre. a picture 1s nothing without
shadow, and character is nothing with
out few darker strokes in il. IF de-
scribed nay parsonage without faults you
would scarcely know him tor a being Of
your own species, and you would scarcely
have The courage while you are reading
to say, II will try to do as we'll as he
did," Let me give you, however, one
caution, initiate what he did that was
best; you will have faults enough Of your
own. It was not his faults that made
him worthy of niche in history. TO
proceed; Our young scholar, though he
did SO many things commercially was q
little bit OF a blackguard. There was no
unlucky scheme started in which he was
not willing to make figure. In his
younger days he minded his play great
deal and his book very little. He was
always getting into one unlucky scrape
or another, and many beating he
earned for himself by this dangerous
propensity. He would rant and swag-
ger with the best of his fellows. He had,
IS the saying is. tongue Of his own,
and such was his mettle, or rather so
rash and passionate was his temper, that
seldom day passed without his exchang-
ing blows with some Of his companions,
Yet think he was good-natured and
good hearted at bottom. and his play
fellows forgave him his faults, for they
had faults to be forgiven too. His faults.