Cultural Identity & Famous Irish Art

Irish Horses

Horses have always been considered very important and highly respected animals in Ireland.

Historically one of the most famous horses is the Byelerley Turk (c. 1680 – c. 1703), (also spelled Byerly Turk). He was a fighting horse in the Ottoman cavalry, which would be captured by the English during the Siege of Buba.

The Byerley Turk would be ridden across Europe in various campaigns, winning the resurrected King James II Plate in the lanes of Co. Down, before fighting in the bloody Battle of the Boyne.

Upon his retirement to Yorkshire in England, the horse became the first of three stallions that were the founders of the modern thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian). These horses are known for their naturally precocious behaviour, as well as their athleticism and beauty.

Established by Colonel William Hall-Walker (later Lord Wavertree) in 1906-1910, the British National Stud and the Japanese Gardens, in Tully, Co. Kildare, were presented to the Irish ‘nation’ in 1915.

The intervening years and Irish War of Independence, left the farm in a somewhat level of obscurity. With the properties having formally returned to the Irish Government in 1943, the Irish National Stud Company was founded in with the purpose of preserving the Irish Horse breed.

It used to be that every young man had to learn to ride. The horse not only served as a mode of transportation, but also as a valuable agricultural tool, such as ploughing.

During the twentieth century as mechanization became more commonplace, horses were no longer in such high demand for many work purposes.

Irish horses have gone on to be some of the most sought after in the world, particularly in the sports of racing and show jumping. In addition to riding schools, trail riding, and hunting, the equestrian industry employs many people. 

This is especially noticeable at the Dublin Horse Show, which is one of the highlights of the Irish summer and takes place every year for five days in August. The show is regarded as one of the world’s top equestrian events, is the pinnacle event for the Irish sport horse industry and a major draw for international equestrian competitors. Ultimatley it is a celebration of Ireland’s love of horses.

Hunting with hounds is a tradition in Ireland that goes back to ancient times and features strongly in Celtic literature and legend. Despite this, many people believe that fox hunting is a cruel and barbaric blood sport that is happening openly and legally in the Republic of Ireland.

Horses and Horse Traders

Horses are one of the most commonly traded livestock, and horse traders act as middlemen between buyers and sellers. Traders can be either independent or specialise in certain types of horses, such as racehorses, ponies, workhorses, donkeys.

Horses have been a part of Irish culture for centuries, and are still used today, the horse is often an emblem of strength and power.

In Ireland, horse-trading was a big part of everyday life. In order to get a good horse, the trader had to win the horse in a race. After the race, the trader had to then sell the horse. It was a very time-consuming process. In the late 1800s, the horse became a symbol of Irish nationalism, and this sentiment can still be found in the modern day.

Many Irish artists have created works of art, including sculptures, paintings and murals, which are focused on the horse. For example, Jack Butler Yeats ‘In The Whistle of a Jacket’ painted in 1946, use of high impasto (exuberantly applied paint) which emphasises the painting’s essential theme of unmitigated freedom. Painting itself was an emotional release for Yeats.

There are many different types of horses in Ireland, including trotters and saddle horses. A trotter is a horse that is built for speed, and a saddle horse is a horse that is built for riding.

Smithfield Horse Market, Dublin

This area is known for the historical Horse Fair that used to take place every month, for the best part of 400 years. A by-law passed on January 14, 2013 reduced it to twice a year and this established some new rules and regulations.

The main causes for the change were some violent incidents and objections of nearby residents who are uncomfortable with its atmosphere, noise, perceptions of animal abuse and neglect.

The Smithfield Horse Fair continues to draw heavy and sustained criticism from a wide range of sources, including the Garda Síochána (Irish Police) and the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA). There are many legal difficulties in closing down and/or moving away the market, coupled with its centuries-old heritage. Dublin City Council and the horse fair defenders are locked in an ongoing battle with no clear resolution in sight.

Ballinasloe International October Fair

The Ballinasloe International October Fair is a three-day event that is held in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, on the last weekend of October. It is one of the largest livestock fairs in Ireland, and is attended by visitors from all over the world.

This is Ireland’s, and maybe Europe’s, oldest traditional fair and an annual gathering has taken place here since at least the time of the High Kings of Tara.

The main purpose of the fair is the sale of horses, and watching the hundreds of horse dealers gathered with their stock and doing business on the Fair Green is a highlight of the week. All sorts of horses are sold, from tiny ponies to huge hunters and more than one international show jumper was bought as a young horse at the fair.

Selling is done the old way – no auctioneers or fancy sales ring, the horses gather, the buyers gather and deals are done in cash.

Many deals are completed with a spit swear, which means you never break your word. It is a bond between two people who have just come to some sort of agreement; both spit in their palm and then shake hands with the wet hand. This is often viewed as the ‘lite’ version of a Blood Oath.

There is also lots more though, music, especially traditional music, is everywhere, there are tug-of-war competitions, bareback riding, a carnival and many street traders selling just about anything you can imagine.

Caravan Painting

At first travellers put their belongings on an open or flat cart and often lived in tents called Bender tents.

However, by the 1880s the flat cart had been developed into a wooden wagon called a Vardo. Horses pulled these wagons, inside of which there would be a double bed and underneath that a single bed. The single bed would be for the youngest child. The other children would sleep outside under tarpaulin.

Hand painted Romany Gypsy Bowtop caravans are decorated in many different ways that represent personal and unique designs.

The designs used by Gypsies reflected the countryside they travelled through. Each would be designed and was usually unique to that family.

Family horses were a particular favourite. The families also liked carvings of birds, flowers, fruit and animals. Some families liked designs from Ancient Rome that included grapes, lions, classical lines and scrolls.

The status of the Gypsy family could be seen by the decorations on their Vardo. The more intricate the design, the richer the family were, including gold leaf being used as part of the decoration. This something that still can be seen in the pride of elaborately decorated grave plots and memorials of ancestor’s past.

Canal Barges/Roses and Castles

A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, designed to fit the narrow locks of canal networks. During Britain’s prolonged rule over Ireland, two man made waterways were built: the Grand Cancel and subsequently the Royal Canal, built in direct competition to the former.

The canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commercial canal traffic gradually diminished and the last regular long-distance transportation of goods had virtually disappeared by 1970s.

Roses and Castles is the colourful canal folk art that was used to decorate working narrowboats in the 19th century. Although no one knows exactly where the Roses & Castles movement originated, it is most probably a combination of design influences from a variety of sources.

It is probable that the design originated from the Birmingham and Black Country area in England, along with influences that Romani people used, to types of different furniture.

There are some obvious similarities with traveller culture and their elaborately painted caravans. Historians have also identified similarities with folk art from Germany, Holland and even Asia.

Wherever it came from, the reason for its popularity and growth is certainly tied to the limited size of the boat cabin, the pride of the boat people and the competition between the canals and the railways.

Traveling Circus

Duffy’s Circus is one of the oldest Circuses in the world, dating back as far as the 18th century! Duffy’s Circus has been wowing audiences throughout Ireland over the past three centuries, visiting county by county each year.

Traveling Amusements

Although not technically Irish, I fondly remember attending the annual Stanley Thurston & Sons Family Fun Fair in Wardown Park, Luton.

I vividly remember seeing airbrushed artwork on some of the rides as a child. This also included hand painted Roses and Castles style decorative elements added to enhance the appearance of rides and vehicles.

Stanley Thurston, born in 1898, was a well-known showman in the east of England. He grew up among fairgrounds, learning the tricks of the trade, before eventually inheriting several old attractions from his father. Modern lightweight machines, such as the dodgems came on the scene in the early 1930’s, and would be passed onto the next generation of the business.

Nevertheless, it portrays another type of traveling lifestyle, and some of the commonalities of the ornamentation.

The Craft of the Tinsmith

The craft of the tinsmith is one that has been around for centuries and was a common occupation in pre-industrial times.

A tinsmith is a skilled artisan who transforms metals into beautiful and useful objects. Tinsmiths have a long history of fabricating items such as: tin pots, kettles, pans, lanterns and mousetraps.

Unlike blacksmiths, who use a hearth to heat and help shape their raw materials, tinsmiths do the majority of their work on cold metal. All forms of metalworking are skills that take a lot of practice and patience to perfect.