Strangest Genius Book Launch at Bewely's Cafe


Sunniva Clarke Sheridan at Bewley's

Lucy Costigan with Michael Cullen
 

The Authors at Bewley's
 

Books on sale

 

 

Strangest Genius: the stained glass of Harry Clarke was launched on Tuesday 11 May, at 7.30pm in the Harry Clarke room of Bewley’s, Grafton Street, Dublin. Cian Connoughton of MKC Communications was instrumental in organising the launch, on behalf of Bewley’s management. 

Sunniva Clarke Sheridan, Harry Clarke’s granddaughter, officially launched the book. Sunniva spoke eloquently of her first meeting with author Lucy Costigan, when Lucy told her “I love Harry Clarke’s stained-glass”. Lucy had discovered Harry Clarke’s beautiful window, The Eve of Saint Agnes, at the Dublin City Gallery Hugh Lane in Parnell Square when she was a student. Sunniva also spoke of her own experience of working as a teenager during the 1960s at the almost sanctified Harry Clarke Studios.

Maeve Convery of The History Press Ireland was the MC for the evening. Veronica Campbell of the Campbell Bewley Group spoke about Mr. Bewley’s farsighted decision to commission Harry Clarke to create six windows for the café at Grafton Street between 1927 and 1928.

Authors, Lucy and Michael thanked the many guests who had travelled from all over Ireland and England to attend the event. It was also great to welcome so many of the Clarke family who were highly supportive of the book. Research and communications manager, Raymond J. McGovern, also spoke on the night.

Bewley’s Café contains six priceless decorative windows, some of the finest examples of Clarke’s work, designed by the artist in 1927 and 1928 for the opening of the café.
 
The new book captures, for the first time in print, the entire collection of Harry Clarke’s stained glass from across the world. Regarded as the finest in his field, and one of Ireland’s greatest artists, Clarke is renowned for his combination of technique and raw imagination and, in this comprehensive work, the authors convey a graphic sense of the majesty and scale of his achievement.
 
Strangest Genius, published by The History Press Ireland, was released on May 1 and is available in all good bookshops and at www.thehistorypress.ie