| Story |
The islanders watch the sailboat races intensely, sitting on a cliff overlooking Clare Island Harbor. Hookers (an húicéiri) were the intracoastal workhorses of the West of Ireland shipping trade. They were used for fishing and to transport people and cargo. Hookers are easily recognized by their black hulls and dark red-brown sails. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1938 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
Helen Hooker and Ernie O’Malley rented a house in Louisburgh, Co. Mayo in the summer of 1938. They travelled around Mayo including Clew Bay and its many islands. On one excursion, they visited Clare Island on the day of the annual hooker sailboat regatta. Currach rowing boats also would have raced. Michael Murray, his wife, daughter, and other island friends gather near the base of Granuaile’s Clare Island castle. Granuaile, or Grace O’Malley, was known as the “Pirate Queen of Ireland“ (1530-1603). This 16th century square keep is one of several castles around Clew Bay. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1938 |
| Order |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
Kilmainham Jail was built in 1796, shortly after the French Revolution. It became known as “The Bastille of Ireland.” After being captured in December 1920, Ernie O’Malley was tortured in Dublin Castle then removed to Kilmainham jail without trial. Ernie and two other prisoners escaped on Valentine’s Day 1921, aided by “The Big Fella,” Michael Collins. During the Irish Civil War, Ernie was captured again and confined within Mountjoy Jail. He and other senior anti-Treaty officers were transferred to Kilmainham’s formidable bastion in late October 1923. This was to separate them from the thousands of other prisoners and sympathizers who joined their leaders on a 41-day hunger strike. The fortress-like complex was abandoned in 1924. Ernie was with his wife, Helen, when she photographed this evocative image in 1936. |
| Location |
Dublin |
| Date |
1936 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
