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Irish Independent
18-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Elizabeth Wincott Heckett, archaeologist and author who was a leading expert on Ireland's textiles
Her life's work is reflected in the comprehensive collection of her papers, Textiles of Ireland: Archaeology, Craft, Art, which was edited by Mary Ann Williams and published last year by Cork University Press. Better known as 'Libby', she was born to Harold and Joyce Wincott in north London in 1934. Her mother had worked in a bank, while her father was a financial journalist for The Financial Times. It seemed she might follow in her father's footsteps after she left school as she applied to study at the London School of Economics but didn't register. She met Eric Heckett in London, and the couple married. They lived in Greece before settling in Cobh, Co Cork, and rearing four children. The couple were divorced while their children were in their teens. Although times were challenging, she applied to study archaeology at University College Cork (UCC) and registered as an undergraduate student at the age of 48. As Mary Ann Williams recalls, it was a 'radical decision' as mature students were 'few and far between'. She earned her bachelor's degree in two years and then chose textiles as the research topic for her masters thesis at the suggestion of Dr Elizabeth Shee Twohig. Having sewn all her life, 'viewing textiles through the prism of archaeology was a revelation', Williams writes. Her daughter Jo Heckett observed: ''My mother used to say that every archaeologist is convinced that their specialty is what enabled human beings to evolve into who we are today.' However, 'just one technology made it possible for people to live all over the world and thrive in every environment, and that is the ability to make textiles''. For her thesis, she focused on 'the Dublin cap' — a type of head covering of wool or silk discovered during excavations of 10th to 12th century Hiberno-Norse dwellings at Wood Quay in Dublin. Her much-praised work was published as Viking Age Headcoverings from Dublin (the National Museum of Ireland, 2003). Wincott Heckett volunteered in the UCC archaeology department, and then became a part-time instructor and lecturer. Her daughter Sophie Heckett has described her mother as a natural teacher, who 'wanted her students to develop the same passion for archaeology' that she had. She developed an international standing and was a natural storyteller at conferences. For the next 30 years she was instrumental in analysing many new archaeological textiles finds. After the remains of a bog body from Cloonshannagh, Co Roscommon, were brought to the National Museum of Ireland in 2005, she was able to confirm there were twill weaves of exceptional quality, indicating that the young woman who died in the bog in the 7th century was of nobility. She shared an interest in textiles with the former National Museum of Ireland director Raghnall Ó Floinn, and reconstructions of costumes used in its exhibitions on Medieval Ireland and Kingship and Sacrifice were based on her 'deep knowledge'. Other discoveries included the earliest knitted silk stocking found in Ireland which she identified from scraps of textiles unearthed during excavation for a car park in Cork. She published three books in all and many articles in the Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society and with the Northern European Symposium on Archaeological Textiles. She sometimes described herself as a 'time detective', according to her daughter Jo. Twohig says she 'often remarked that fabrics told a life's history, being so precious that they were recycled many times, from clothing to packing fabrics in the timbers of boats'. 'When the actor Jeremy Irons discovered a bundle of clothing in what had been the dungeon of his castle in Skibbereen, Co Cork, Wincott Heckett identified a hat that probably had belonged to one of the employees of the wealthy MacCarthy Reagh clan,' Williams said. And before filming of the Vikings series began in 2013, the production's costume department 'sent a researcher down to Wincott Heckett for a cup of tea'. She retired in 2018, but lived to attend the publication of her most recent work which was widely praised as invaluable reading for generations to come. Elizabeth Wincott Heckett is survived by her children Nic, Jo, Sophie and Louisa, sister Virginia, 13 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry library holds launch of Irish language book showcasing best work of late Ballinskelligs writer
Glór ón Sceilg is a book which contains a selection of work extracted from the eight original Irish language books released by the late Michael Kirby, or Mícheál Ua Ciarmhic. Though the author took up writing very late in life, he managed to release several highly regarded books in Irish and English before he died in 2005. Victory Bayda, Irish language planning officer for Uibh Ráthach Gaeltacht, was 'fear an tí' at the event, where he spoke of how important the new book is for preserving the richness of the language in the Ballinskelligs Gaeltacht. Anne Coffey, the daughter of Michael Kirby, welcomed guests and thanked the many people who contributed to the book, including editors Máirín Nic Eoin and Mary Shine Thompson and those at publisher Cork University Press. Glór ón Sceilg was launched by local man and community activist Micheál Ó Leidhin, who outlined the life lived by Michael Kirby in great detail to those in attendance. Topics discussed by Mr Ó Leidhin included Michael Kirby's involvement in the Ballinskelligs community and founding of a local development group, his role in the local drama society and above all, his commitment to preserving the culture and language of the place. Séaghan Ó Suilleabháin, language planning officer for Cahersiveen, was the final speaker at the book launch. He outlined the richness of Kirby's language and the treasure this book will be for future generations of Irish students. As well as being a renowned author, Michael Kirby was also an accomplished painter, a pursuit which he took up prior to his writing career. Those who attended the book launch in Cahersiveen had the opportunity to view over 80 images of his paintings, which were played on a slide loop at the event.
Irish Independent
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Irish book showcasing work of renowned Ballinskelligs writer to be launched in Kerry this week
Michael Kirby, or Mícheál Ua Ciarmhic, was a Ballinskelligs native who took up writing late in life and, despite only receiving a primary education, managed to release several highly regarded books in Irish and English before he died in 2005. The book that will be launched locally on Thursday evening is a new collection comprising of prose and poetry selected from the Kerry writer's eight original Irish language books published between 1984 and 2000, with two poems from the 2006 multi-authored collection Duanaire Mhaidcí. The book also features photographs of the author, who was a well-regarded artist, along with some of his paintings and a detailed map of Ballinskelligs by calligrapher Tim O'Neill. 'Glór ón Sceilg' is said to be an insider's account of a unique cultural region, the hilly coastal area that looks out onto Skellig Michael at the tip of the Iveragh Peninsula, which will inspire readers courtesy of the author's detailed knowledge of his physical surroundings and understanding of the relationship between humans and the natural world. The book was published by Cork University Press on World Book Day (March 6). The archives of Michael Kirby, donated to UCC by his daughter Anne Kirby Coffey and son-in-law Patrick Coffey, were opened to the public for the first time when the book was released. The Ballinskelligs writer, as Patrick Coffey recently wrote in Comhnasc, was born in Ballinskelligs in 1906 and was the youngest of seven children in his family. He later emigrated to America and found work on the railways in New Haven, Connecticut, where many of his siblings had also relocated. He returned home in 1933 to care for his dying father, who passed away in October of that year. Though he had intended to return to the USA, he could not due to the outbreak of World War II. Michael fell in love with a local woman, Peggy O'Sullivan, and married her in January of 1943. The couple had six children and Michael , who had an intimate knowledge of the Skellig Coast, worked as a fisherman. After he retired he worked for the Board of Works, painting and maintaining the schools of the parish, until he suffered a heart attack in his mid-seventies and was advised that he should stop physical work. He then took up oil painting, capturing scenery and flora from his area, and his reputation as an artist grew, with people visiting his home to buy paintings. ADVERTISEMENT On trips to see his daughters Anne and Martina in Dublin, he made regular visits to the Conradh na Gaeilge Club on Harcourt Street. There he met writers and publishers who encouraged him to begin writing. And so he did. Michael Kirby was 78-years-old when he launched his first book, Cliathán na Sceilge, at Listowel Writer's Week in 1984 and went on to write much highly regarded material over the next 20 years. Patrick Coffey said the upcoming launch of 'Glór ón Sceilg' is very important for the Úibh Ráthach Gaeltacht, where there is a strong revival of people speaking Irish courtesy of the work of Victor Bayda, language planning officer for the area, and Séaghan Ó Suilleabháin, language planning officer for Cahersiveen.
