SARAH CECILIA HARRISON

Sarah Cecilia Harrison
Click on any image for a larger version

So, who was Sarah Cecilia Harrison?

Never heard of her, so I clearly had no interest in her.

She was the subject of a recent (9/4/2019) talk in City Hall as part of the current series on women and the revolutionary period.

So why was I there? I'll let you in on a secret. I had come with the sole purpose of meeting the speaker, Margarita Cappock, to thank her personally for finding for me what appears to be the only extant example of Gordon Brewster's fine art. Margarita ran it down in the store in the Municipal, now the Hugh Lane, Art Gallery.

Seán Mac Caoilte

I had arrived early, as is my wont when I can, so I went in for another look around the wonderful exhibition on The Story of the Capital, where a week earlier I discovered a cartoon of George Belton which I had not seen before.

This time my eye caught the legend on a picture of Seán Mac Caoilte painted by none other than the subject of today's talk Sarah Cecilia Harrison.

Margarita Cappock

Nearly time for the talk, so I collared Margarita, thanked her profusely for the Brewster picture, and told her it was the only example that had come to light. I also mentioned Brewster's estranged wife, Biddy, who had a bonfire in the back garden of any work she could find of his following his sudden death in 1946.

I then decided to stay to hear more about the Harrison lady.

And what a character she turned out to be.

She was the foremost portrait painter of her day and did many famous people. She was a huge supporter of Hugh Lane, and more, as she claimed that he had intended marrying her on his return from America but, of course, he went down with the Lusitania in 1915. Cecilia didn't paint for five years after Hugh Lane's death.

As far as Lane's pictures were concerned, she disputed both the will, leaving them to England, and the controversial codicil, leaving them to Ireland, and she maintained that there had been another will which had been suppressed.

She was a suffragette (non-militant) and supported the allotments movement. She even got elected to Dublin City Council in 1911/12 but was subsequently suspended, possibly due to her moving out of the electoral area she represented.

In her later years she fell out with everyone and was known to one member of the family as "mad aunt Cecilia".

Sad.

Mary Clarke

I'm glad I stayed to hear about Cecilia and full marks to City Archivist Mary Clarke for organising this series of talks. Another feather in her cap which surely one day will take to the air under its own steam (to mix a metaphor or whatever).