Catholic Art

This 1875 painting by Aloysius O’Kelly is titled Mass in a Connemara Cabin. For nearly a century it was presumed lost until it was discovered in a Scottish rectory. BBC has the following to say about it:

A painting which went missing more than 100 years ago has been found in a Scottish priest’s front room. The work by leading Irish artist Aloysius O’Kelly is thought to be worth about £500,000. It is now set to go on display at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin after the priest realised its significance. The work, entitled Mass in a Connemara Cabin, was seen in public for the first time in a century at St Patrick’s church in Edinburgh on Sunday. I typed O’Kelly’s name into the internet not expecting anything, and I discovered this painting had been missing for 100 years. The painting, which shows a priest celebrating mass in a cottage in the west of Ireland, was much sought-after in art circles. It disappeared from public view when the artist emigrated to the United States in 1895. Recent efforts to track it down included the creation of a website featuring a sketch of the painting. It is thought that the work may have come to St Patrick’s church during the 1890s through parish priest Canon Hannan, who supported the Irish land reform movement. It was cleaned 12 years ago, but was not recognised at the time as O’Kelly’s missing work. The truth only emerged after Father Richard Reid became curious about the picture in his front room and carried out some research. The Redemptorist priest said: “I typed O’Kelly’s name into the internet not expecting anything, and I discovered this painting had been missing for 100 years. He said the painting had been authenticated, but would not be sold.
“This painting is more a part of Irish than Scottish history,” he said. “But it belongs to the people of this parish and that is one of the reasons for not selling it.” The painting has been offered to the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin on long-term loan.