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Two Men Who Made A Contribution To Irish Culture
“ Opera in English is, in the main, just about as sensible as baseball in Italian.”
--Henry Louis Menchen.
I wonder if Mr Menchen had anything to say about an opera in Irish?
The first full length opera in the Irish language was Eithne,
its premier occurring at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival in 1909.
Based on the Irish legend Éan an Cheoil Bhinn (The Bird of Sweet
Music), it was a significant cultural event for the Gaelic revival
movement and was well-received and after a run of performances at the
Gaiety Theatre in Dublin during the summer of 1910, which was cut short
by the death of King Edward VII, it was almost forgotten for more
than a century until it was revived by the Opera Theatre Company in
2017, which performed and recorded the entire work at Dublin’s National
Concert Hall. It featured singers Orla Boylan, Gavan Ring, Robin
Tritschler and Eamonn Mulhall and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.
But why am I writing about opera? It is because I happen to
know a grandson of Robert O’ Dwyer ( Riobárd Ó Duibhir) the composer
of Eithne,
“I should like much to hear this opera again, under
more favourable conditions – to hear it in a proper theatre, with a
proper stage, full scenery, and better soloists." The words of JJ
O'Toole in the Irish nationalist newspaper the Leader following the
first performance of Eithne in 1909. After the concert performance by
Opera Theatre Company, with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the
National Concert Hall, audience members expressed almost the same
opinion apart from any criticism of the soloists. Nobody had any
criticism of the composer.
Robert O'Dwyer was born, 07th January 1862 to Irish
parents , who didn’t use the “O”, in Bristol, where he received private
musical education and acted as a chorister and assistant organist
during the years 1872 to 1891. His interest in opera manifested itself
initially by becoming the conductor of a local amateur opera company in
1889, before he became a conductor of the Carl Rosa Opera Society
(1891–97) and the Arthur Rousby Opera Company (1892–96), with which he
undertook tours throughout the British Isles. After one such tour he
settled in Dublin in 1897, where he held various positions as organist
in the counties of Dublin and Wicklow. From 1899 he taught music at the
Royal University of Ireland and from 1901 conducted the choir of the
Gaelic League, for which he wrote numerous arrangements of Irish
traditional music and Sean nos songs.
He also wrote articles and concert reviews for The Leader,
which became an outlet for his increasingly nationalist views. O'Dwyer
completed his major composition, the three-act opera Eithne, in 1909,
on the strengths of which he was appointed Professor of Irish Music at
University College Dublin (1914–1939). Although he wrote (and published)
a number of other works, including a second opera, none of his later
works came near the success and significance of Eithne. He died in
Dublin in 1949. It would be a pity if this unique work had to wait
another 107 years before some world-renowned Opera Company staged it.
* * * * * *
On the subject of matters artistic, the most famous Auctioneering
firm in Ireland is about to sell a collection of books left by one of
Ireland’s best known publicans, Tommy Smith.
The auctioneer told me, “Our involvement with Tommy Smith
and his book collection started in the last year so we had no personal
interaction with Tommy himself. It was the executors of his will who
made contact with us as we are the only dedicated book auction house
within all of the island of Ireland." Tommy was an avid book collector
but not just a collector; he genuinely loved his books, whether it be
Irish literature or Irish poetry. There was a really nice article about
Tommy on RTE a number of years ago:
https://www.rte.ie/culture/2020/0210/1114389-tommy-smith-rip-a-legendary-dublin-publican-remembered/
We collected Tommy’s books back in May of this year and
began to process the books at the end of July – in all, there are
c.25,000 books divided between individual lots, bundles of books and
boxes of books. The top lot in the sale is undoubtedly, Lot 276 the
infamous copy of Kavanagh’s Tarry Flynn which blew apart his libel court
case back in 1954 – it is estimated at €3,000 to €6,000 although bids
have already exceeded the lower estimate. There are numerous online
articles going back over the years about this nugget of Irish literary
history. This link will give you all the auction info and images:
https://www.purcellauctioneers.ie/catalogue/lot/c8ddb91bf7e13bccf7a376f6e4361533/81b29ab6fa187a02a829c1899b734425/two-day-sale-of-the-library-of-the-late-tommy-smith-gr-lot-276/
* * * * * *
There is a super first edition of At Swim Two Birds by Flann
O’Brien with the ultra-rare original dust jacket and is estimated at
€2,000-€4,000 although bids again have exceeded the lower estimate –
this is the link for that lot etc.:
https://www.purcellauctioneers.ie/catalogue/lot/44ce812c1fa29bf8d732a42441a03808/81b29ab6fa187a02a829c1899b734425/two-day-sale-of-the-library-of-the-late-tommy-smith-gr-lot-333/
It really is some of the very best of the best of works by
Ireland’s leading writers and poets, of which really very many, were
personal friends of Tommy Smith – many of the works are signed and many
dedicated to Tommy himself.
Sale Dates:Wed 3rd Sep 2025 10am (Lots 1 to 500)
hu 4th Sep 2025 10am (Lots 501 to 963)
Telephone(s): 00353 579120270<
See you in October.
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