Lucy Costigan

Michael Cullen

Harry Clarke (1889-1931) was undoubtedly Ireland’s greatest stained-glass artist. Internationally, his name is synonymous with quality craftsmanship and imaginative genius. The use of rich colours, the delicate depiction of beautiful elongated figures with their fine-carved features and deep expressive eyes, is magical to behold. During his short life Clarke created more than 160 stained-glass windows, which can be found in churches, cathedrals, galleries, and private collections throughout the world.This book documents, for the first time, the entire stained-glass collection of Harry Clarke. Never before has every piece been brought together in one volume. Strangest Genius presents Clarke’s brilliance and originality afresh to a twenty-first-century audience.

The Stained Glass of Harry Clarke

Strangest Genius

Marion will be admitted to Newgrange, the five thousand year old mound in the heart of Ireland, which is illuminated with the sun's rays just once a year on the winter solstice. The novel is a rich portrayal of love and relationship, loss and healing, and offers insights into ancient Celtic traditions of spirituality and rebirth.

Winter Solstice

Arthur Kingsley Porter, (1883 1933) renowned American, Harvard professor and owner of Glenveagh Castle, vanished without trace from Inishbofin Island, Co. Donegal, in 1933. No trace of the professor was ever found. Over the decades stories of Porter's disappearance turned into legend. A strong swimmer and always fond of the outdoors, was it likely that Porter had been drowned by misadventure or was foul play involved? Perhaps Porter took off alone to pursue new adventures? By the late 1920s Porter and his wife Lucy possessed every asset that most mortals can only dream of. But was there a dark secret that led the enigmatic professor to jump from the rocks on that fateful morning? The truth about the secret inner world of Arthur Kingsley Porter has only recently been revealed. In a historical thriller set in Ireland, America and Europe in the 1920s and 30s, Lucy Costigan conjures up the world of Irish cultural and rural life, examines Porter s friendship with the literary figure AE and Irish society luminaries, and celebrates the raw beauty of Glenveagh and Donegal.

Glenveagh Mystery

Dark Beauty focuses on the minute detail in Harry Clarke’s stained-glass windows, particularly in the borders and lower panels of his work. Clarke’s brilliance as a graphic artist is clearly visible in his book illustrations, which are imbued with precise attention to intricate designs, and he applied the same lavish focus to every facet of his stained glass. The title ‘Dark Beauty’ refers to the duality of Clarke’s work that sees delicate angels juxtaposed with macabre, grotesque figures, and represents the partially hidden details that dwell in the background of his windows – motifs, accessories, flora, fauna and diminutive characters – which may be missed in light of the dominance of the central subjects. The authors spent many years photographing Clarke’s windows in Ireland, England, America and Australia, and the resulting 60,000 photos have been carefully whittled down to 500 glorious images. Dark Beauty will provide lovers of Clarke’s stained glass with the opportunity to view previously obscured or unnoticed details in all their unique beauty and inspire their own travels to view Clarke’s work.

Lucy Costigan

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