Bailiúcán Ardizzone shows Erris connection to prolific illustrator

What connects the rural Barony of Erris to prolific illustrator Edward Ardizzone and notable author T.S. White?

The answer lies in the Bailiúcán Ardizzone, currently on display in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet.

Hanging in the foyer you will find a series of original illustrations from one of the most famous and most bizarre pieces of literature ever set in County Mayo. ‘The Godstone and the Blackymor’ by Bombay-born T.S. White (1906 – 1964) describes Erris in the late 1930s and through the 1940s, a tumultuous time of world war, and details the authors experiences in the west of Ireland.

Published in New York in 1959, and described as a wonderfully rambling memoir of his time spent on our shores, the book paints a picture of everyday life in Erris and depicts many of the social customs of the era through the eyes of the witty, empathetic author, who escaped to County Mayo for a taste of freedom. Following his favourite outdoor pursuits, fishing, shooting and hunting, and including his innate predilection for mischief and fondness of the drink, Whites main complaint with the province appears in his concern for his safety while braving the Atlantic in a small open currach or travelling on perilous bog roads. Some things never change!

The titular ‘Blackymor’ was Nigerian-born James Montgomery Marjoribanks whom White encountered far from home, selling medicines and offering healing massages. White formed a friendship with the desperately lonely, stoical man over drinks in the inn at the site of the Western Strands Hotel. Strange tales of a mysterious holy stone, worshipped by the Inishkea islanders, captured Whites attention and he set out to discover the truth about the Godstone and its mysterious disciples, with a little help and illumination from the fairy folk of lore!

Born in French Indo-China, Edward Ardizzone (1900 – 1979) was a prolific illustrator and author, providing thoughtful and illuminating accompaniments to children’s novels and penning his own. When commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee, he shunned the ‘Great War Epic’ style in favour of everyday acts of heroism he witnessed daily. Illustrating over 200 books in his lifetime, in The Godstone and the Blackymor, his black ink cross hatch sketches provide the perfect relief to T.S. Whites whimsy.

In the 1950s, Ardizzone joined T.S. White on a return journey to revisit the very places that had captured the authors’ imagination, and the resulting artwork vividly adorns the chapter pages of the memoir. Both men’s passion for Erris and her surrounds is clear!

The Ardizzone collection was acquired for Aras Inis Gluaire in 2012. Alerted to the existence of a shirt box of 8 original sketches from the book, Erris Heritage Committee member Catherine Mangan was determined to raise the money to purchase the treasure. Thanks to the generosity of many local voluntary organizations and the general public, funds were raised in just 3 weeks and centre manager Ian McAndrew set off to London to personally procure the pieces. The collection was launched in September 2014 by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and attended by members of the Ardizzone family. Since the launch, 4 additional sketches have been added to the exhibition.

Although T.S. White is best known for his 1959 set of Arthurian novels entitled The Once and Future King, The Godstone and the Blackymor is a world apart. Erris, and especially her people, captured the vivid imagination of the esteemed author and fed his desire for history, heritage and for the rich and vibrant living folklore only found in the west of Ireland.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to read the memoir to appreciate the artistic talent of Ardizzone and to realise the fascinating detail found in the books illustrations. The author himself is quoted as saying “God knows what this book is about!” The Ardizzone Exhibition is on permanent display in Áras Inis Gluaire, Church Road, Belmullet.