Adam's The Irish Library Wednesday 17th April 2019

38 The Killarney Woodwork Industry By the middle of the 18th Century Killarney and its hinterland was emerging as a ‘tourist centre’. Early visitors related their experi- ences of awesome lakes, mountains and wildlife in guidebooks and by 1853 Killarney was accessible by rail, allowing even greater numbers to reach the area. Roughly 30 years before the arrival of the railroad, enterprising men such as Jeremiah O’Connor estab- OLVKHG IDFWRULHV IRU WKH SURGXFWLRQ RI KDQGFUDIWHG VRXYHQLUV VXFK DV FKHVVERDUGV VQX΍ER[HV FDUG FDVHV HYHQ MHZHOOHU\ 7KH LWHPV were made from a variety of beautiful local timbers - arbutus, elm, ash, holly, yew, bog oak and bog yew which grew in abundance RQ WKH PRXQWDLQVLGHV VXUURXQGLQJ WKH /DNHV RI .LOODUQH\ $UEXWXV DQG ERJ RDN ZHUH XVHG SUROLȴFDOO\ DQG EHFDPH SDUWLFXODU WR WKH Killarney wares. As mementos of the area, the items mentioned were inlaid with marquetry images of the most popular local sites: Muckross Abbey, Ross Castle, Glena Cottage, Old Weir Bridge, Innisfallen, Aghadoe, Dunloe Castle and Killarney House, several of ZKLFK FDQ EH LGHQWLȴHG RQ WKH SUHVHQW 'DYHQSRUW GHVN 7KH LPDJHV ZHUH ODUJHO\ WDNHQ IURP D ERRN RI HQJUDYLQJV ȆΖUHODQG ΖWV 6FHQ - ery, Character &c’ (1841) by Mr and Mrs S. C. Hall. In addition the wares were decorated with symbolic motifs of shamrock, harp, ivy, ferns, mountain eagles and deer. The depiction of wreaths, shamrock, rose and thistle together symbolised the union of Ireland with England, Scotland and Wales. It is possible that producers obtained the notion for such souvenir articles from other tourist resorts such as Tunbridge Wells in Kent as there are records of similar items being manufactured earlier than those at Killarney. The sale of these small, portable, often exquisitely carved items was seasonal and by the mid-nineteenth century manufacturers had turned WKHLU KDQG DW FUHDWLQJ ȴQH TXDOLW\ SLHFHV RI IXUQLWXUH VXFK DV ZULWLQJ GHVNV VRIDV DQG FDELQHWV DLPHG DW WKH JHQWU\ ERWK ORFDOO\ DQG nationally/internationally. Good producers such as James Egan displayed wares at exhibitions as far away as Paris and New York. $URXQG (JDQ ZDV FRPPLVVLRQHG E\ /RUG &DVWOHURVVH WR PDQXIDFWXUH D ȴQH DUEXWXV FDELQHW DQG GHVN DV D JLIW IRU 4XHHQ 9LFWR - ria and many of the manufacturers both gifted and sold pieces to members of the royal family giving further status to the wares. The decline in production of Killarney woodwork came in the late 1800s. The lack of innovation in design and competitive pricing from outside manufacturers assisted in the demise of the industry. The production of items in bog oak lasted longer than that of arbutus but by the early 1900s Killarney was better known for its lace than its woodwork. Now only woodwork museums in Kerry and the items themselves remain. 50 AN IRISH MID-19TH CENTURY INLAID ARBUTUSWOOD AND MARQUETRY DAVENPORT DESK, WKH ZDY\ JDOOHU\ EDFN LQODLG ZLWK D KDUS DQG ȵDQNHG E\ QDWLYH DQLPDOV DERYH D VORSH WRS ZLWK OHDWKHU LQVHW VXU - URXQGHG E\ D EDQG RI WUDLOLQJ VKDPURFNV ZLWK ȴWWHG LQWHULRU KDYLQJ DUFKHG SDQHO GRRUV WR WKH VLGH HQFORVLQJ YDUL - ous short drawers, with solid column supports, on platform base and castors. 101 cm high x 71 cm wide € 4,000 - 6,000