Audio visual installation as part of the Idionumina Exhibition 15 Hughes Graiguenamanagh Co Kilkenny November 2012. The former 1850’s shop and hotel has been unoccupied since 2002 and curators Deirdre Southey and Maria Tanner funded the project via Fundit to bring together 17 artists into this evocative building.

ARTIST STATEMENT

READ BETWEEN THE LINES –  a work in process by Frank Hughes

Paddy Hughes who grew up in this house,  joined the Irish Defence Forces , Oglaigh na h-Eireann in July 1938 aged 24, following 2 years  studying Architecture and Law . Why?

He retired from the Army in 1971 ,aged 57 . From this period until his death in 2000  he recorded in notebooks thousands of quotations, poems taken from books, reviews , newspapers,  reflecting on life , poetry, history, philosophy, humour, art , sport , insults and lyrical  descriptions of many subjects.  Why?

This Installation aims to create a dialogue between the urgent young man finding his way in life in the turbulent Cultural Nationalism of 1930’s Ireland  and the older reflective  man , freed from the constraints of public service and processing wider life and human perspectives .

For many men of his generation , raised within the strict Catholic ethos  of the period , the primary tools of emotional self- expression were the private notebook and pen . In death, these private notebooks become both a window into the person’s innermost thoughts and a rich family legacy.

Paddy remained a practising Catholic throughout his life , later becoming a Lay member of the Franciscan Order and was buried back home in Graigue ,dressed in the Order’s  brown habit.

The piece uses extracts from original newspapers  / documentary / Radio recordings and photographs to give historic context to his world of the 1930’s .Excerpts of Paddy’s  later life quotations and reflections   are read by his son and placed on the wall as a collage .

 

AUDIO AND PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS

1. Eucharistic Congress 1932 – Dioceseofmeath -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaUlGKPHN4w

1. Mussolini Taranto Speech – WW2italiannewsreels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOv-Ncs7vQk

1. De Valera Speech on Neutrality  1939 – godbrother10-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dasU9U7i3JQ

1. 4.       British Movietone News Indent 1930’s

1. All Ireland 1937 – hurlingtime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqjZdUzz3hY&playnext=1&list=PLF3DAAA338ED6B01D&feature=results_video

1. Puttin on the Ritz Fred Astaire – everybodysdoinit   -iTunes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5tucwcS-_o

1. FD Roosevelt Inagural Speech – flukeact95

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNpxQANk0M

1. 8.       WB Yeats – The Lake isle of Inisfree –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2FT4_UUa4I  The Fiddler of Dooney-  iTunes

1. Hitler’s speech endorsing Mussolini  1937 – ThehistoryTV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t75ldUNc2Xw

1. 1936 Berlin Olympics Opening Ceremony – elcrystal

http://www.youtube.com/verify_controversy?next_url=/watch%3Fv%3D1dyns367ExE%26bpctr%3D1350270511%26bpctr%3D1352823068%26bpctr%3D1352823077%26bpctr%3D1352823081

1. Sandy Powell – Irish Sweepstakes song 1930’s – BritishVintageComedy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq5063nwteg

1. The Short Mayo Composite – Foynes 1938 – Bomberguy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYtazEBQ1K8

1. Man of Aran – Robert O Flaherty 1934 ( Mussolini prize Venice Film Festival )– Joejoey21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc1SkNsYHig

1. Benny Goodman 1937 – LucaC1993Production

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6b5c6bs24&list=PL5F7FD00C88C22858&index=21&feature=plpp_video

1. Air Raid Siren 1938 – J8286590

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erMO3m0oLvs

1. Pope Pius Xi Blessing Rome 1930’s – SanctusMatrisTemplum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df6HG–qLwo&feature=related

1. Ernest Hemingway Spanish Civil War – The Spanish Earth –Joris Ivens 1937

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT8q6VAyTi8

1. Chamberlain Declares War 1939 – dave46563

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtrOJnpmz6s

1. 19.   Frank Hughes reading extracts from notebooks of Paddy Hughes 1974-2000
2. 20.   Audio Technical Assistance by Michael Mc Govern

PICTURE  CREDITS –

1. WT Cosgrave – en .Wikipedia .org
2. Greta Garbo as Mata Hari – blog.moviefone.com
3. Lady Lavery as Caitlin ni Uallachain –John Lavery painting
4. Michael Collins – en .Wikipedia .org
5. John Charles Mc Quaid , Papal Nuncio Paschal Robinson , Eamon De Valera at Eucharistic Congress 1932 – UCD archives
6. Great Southern Railways 1930’s poster – wwwgallery29.ie
7. Lateran Treaty postcard 1929 – Mussolini, Pope Pius XI – en .Wikipedia .org
8. All Ireland ticket 1939 – www.crokepark.ie
9.  German Heinkel He-111 bomber 1930’s Spanish Civil War –alejandro-8 blogspot.com
10. 1930’s radio dial in Bakelite – http://briggsandoliver.com/retro-kitsch/
11. Oglaigh na hEireann badge – designed by Eoin Macneill in 1913 – http://irishhistoricalmilitaria.com/store/products/316/
12. Pathe News 1930’s logo– http://www.britishpathe.com/
13. Virgin and Child – Harry Clarke Studios
14. Irish Destiny 1926 film – George Dewhurst – Eppels
15. Shannon Scheme Scheme – 1929 Commemorative Stamp
16. Eucharistic Congress 1932 – Commemorative stamp
17. De Valera at Inauguration of Bunreacht na h Eireann December 1937
18. Cosgrave Works while de Valera Swears poster – https://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com/page/2/
19.  1936 Berlin Olympic poster – http://olympic-museum.de/poster/poster1936.htm
20. 1932 Eucharistic Congress image – http://www.mullingarparish.ie/news
21. 1938 – Neville Chamberlain  “Peace in our time” – en .Wikipedia .org
22. 1934 Man of Aran film by Robert O’ Flaherty
23. Guinness Poster 1930’s
24. Molotov Ribbentrop pact 1939 – en .Wikipedia .org
25. Abbey Theatre– abbeytheatre.ie
26. Hitler Mussolini 1938 – my.opera.com
27. Feis photograph  1930’s – http://www.newrymusicalfeis.com/pages/index.asp?title=Gallery
28. The Shannon Scheme –Siemens – Sean Keating painting 1929
29. Eoin O’Duffy Blueshirt leader 1930’s – http://www.theirishstory.com/2012/05/18/the-blueshirts-fascism-in-ireland/#.UKKGK4efzfg
30. De Valera and Gaelic Football – http://www.theirishstory.com/tag/barry-sheppard/#.UKKGfoefzfh
31. Government Buildings 1935 – Archiseek
32. Commemorative Stamp Hitler / Mussolini
33. German Troops Reichswehr training 1930’s – http://www.foreignaffairs.com/features/collections/fascism-and-world-war-ii
34. Isabella Augusta – Lady Gregory 1852-1932 – Wikipedia
35. Mussolini Roman Salute – althistory.wikia.com
36. Franco and Cardinal Fascist salute 1938http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/francisco-francofrancos-spain
37. Irish Times Newspaper archive . 
    

1. Spanish Civil War Execution- vathiprasino.blogspot.com
2. Spanish Civil War – Republican forces – fotosmilitares.org
3. Spanish Civil War – Prisoners- presseurop.eu
4. Guernica after bombing – picassomitologico.blogspot.com
5. Kristallnacht Jewish pogrom -9-10^th November 1938 – telegraf.rs
6. WB Yeats – http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_butler_yeats
7. Eucharistic Congress 1932 Phoenix Park – rte.ie
8. Oliver St John Gogarty – As I walked down Sackville Street
9. Berlin Olympics torch procession –
10. Cumann na nGaedheal  Poster No Reds 1930’s – http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Cumann_na_nGaedheal_election_poster_1932
11. Farmers with Muscles image
12. Bunreacht na h Eireann Commerorative stamp 1938 –
13. Dublin Airport completed 1940- Postcard of period
14. Tir agus Teanga -1930’s http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/pages/Old_Photos.html
15. Paddy Hughes – Oglaigh ne h-Eireann official Service Record photograph 1940’s
16. Hughes Family Crucifix given to each family member by their mother.
17. Hughes Family Photo archive.