Latest news with #HarryClarke
Irish Post
02-05-2025
- General
- Irish Post
The light fantastic: Following the trail of Harry Clarke's stained glass
I HAVE always loved the stained glass of Ireland's most celebrated artist in that medium, Harry Clarke (1889–1931). I first encountered his dazzling array of colours and illustrations at the age of ten, during a visit to Mount Melleray near Cappoquin, Co. Waterford. There, with my family, I saw the glorious Assumption of Mary window, depicting the Madonna flanked on either side by two Cistercian monks in their white habits. Sadly, that monastery closed earlier this year. Since that first encounter, I've travelled across Ireland and Britain to see as many of Clarke's windows as possible. I've also given talks at Irish festivals, speaking about his extraordinary body of work. Whenever I speak about Harry Clarke, I make a point of sharing the story of his tragically early death from tuberculosis in 1931, at the age of just forty-one. His brother and extended family continued the craft under the Harry Clarke Studios, producing stained-glass windows well into the 1970s. During his short but prolific life, Clarke personally created more than 180 stained-glass windows, not only across Ireland and Britain, but also in the United States and Australia. The Mother of Sorrows, 1926 by Harry Clarke (Pic: National Gallery of Ireland) In 1922, Sister Wilfrid—Sister Superior and Principal of Dowanhill Training College in Glasgow—commissioned The Mother of Sorrows for the convent church. The college, later known as Notre Dame College of Education, was founded in 1895 to train Catholic women as teachers. Originally intended as a memorial to men killed in the First World War and based on the Pietà—Christ in the arms of Mary after being taken down from the cross—the window took on new meaning after Sister Wilfrid's sudden death. It was installed in Glasgow on 24 January 1927 and became her memorial. In 1979, the window was moved to the sisters' college in Bearsden, Glasgow. It was later purchased by the Irish State at Christie's Auction Rooms, King Street, London, in 2002. The window The first light depicts two angels in prayer. Below them, Saint Francis of Assisi is shown in a brown habit and bare feet. In the second light, the top panel features two angels with purple and magenta wings and golden halos. In the main panels, Mary is depicted in royal blue robes, headdress, and cloak, holding her dead son in her arms. The third light's top panel also depicts two angels. Below them, Saint Catherine of Genoa—a fifteenth-century devotee of Jesus—is shown in magnificent robes of magenta, purple, ruby, and gold, with emerald sleeves. I visited it recently and hadn't realised it had its own dedicated room. What a joy it was to step into a darkened space and, with the use of backlighting, see one of the finest Irish stained-glass windows ever designed and made—by none other than Ireland's greatest stained-glass artist, Harry Clarke, assisted by colleagues from his studio. I was keenly aware that, during the creation of this masterpiece, Clarke was in declining health, suffering from chronic respiratory problems. He died just four years later, returning from a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland. Other stained-glass works and illustrations by Clarke are currently on display at the spacious and newly refurbished National Gallery of Ireland. A television documentary I contributed to, filmed at St. Oswald & St. Edmund Arrowsmith RC Church in Ashton-in-Makerfield, near Wigan, is now available online - just search Harry Clarke Irish in UK TV to find it. See More: Harry Clarke, Irish, Stained Glass
Irish Independent
29-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Receivership costs top €9m at Johnny Ronan firm that owns Bewley's site
New accounts filed by RGRE Grafton Ltd show that €9.45m of last year's €33.17m post-tax loss concerned receivership costs. Last month, the Ronan Group confirmed the company had emerged out of receivership as part of a deal that allowed it take back what it called 'the jewels in the crown' of the portfolio: 70 Grafton Street, home to PTSB and City Break Apartments, and 78-79 Grafton Street, the location of Bewley's Cafe, in Dublin 2. A note attached to the new accounts for RGRE Grafton Ltd shows that included in the €33.17m loss was a €15.54m loss on the disposal of investment properties and a latent capital gains tax (CGT) charge of €4.5m. The loss also takes account of a €2.9m gain in the value of the property portfolio. The note states that the company owed €38.59m to a credit institution and €67.25m to group companies of which €39.75m is reflected as subordinated loans. The note adds that in November 2023, as a result of high interest rates and a significant decrease in commercial property values, which gave rise to bank covenant issues, the directors invited its senior lender, Bank of Ireland, to appoint a receiver over the secured assets. During 2024, the receiver marketed the company's investment properties for sale and following this process two properties were sold for €18.45m. In addition, the company acquired a property in 2024 for €10.3m from a company within the same corporate group, and subsequently sold it to a third party. 'Combined sale proceeds were used to part repay the senior lender's loans and pay receiver and sales costs,' the note states. In November 2024, the receiver entered into an agreement with another entity within the same corporate group for the sale of the company's shares. ADVERTISEMENT 'Upon completion, the company had no further obligations to its previous lenders and successfully exited receivership.' The directors believe that the company will be able to meet its obligations as they fall due. The book value of the company's investment properties at the start of 2024 totalled €61.19m and was valued at €30.1m at the end of December 2024. This was after disposals of €44.2m during the year and additions of €10.3m and the €2.9m gain in book value. In February, the Supreme Court agreed to hear another appeal over the ownership of the Harry Clarke stained glass windows in Bewley's Cafe in Grafton Street, Dublin. It followed a 2-1 decision of the Court of Appeal last July that all six of the windows belong to the owner of the premises, RGRE Grafton Ltd. A dissenting judgment found that two of the windows were owned by Bewley's and the other four were 'tenant's fixtures'. That decision differed from a 2023 High Court decision that only four of the windows belonged to RGRE while the other two were the property of the tenant, Bewley's Cafe Grafton Street (BCGS) Ltd, and its subsidiary Bewley's Ltd.
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Johnny Ronan firm records €33m loss in 2024
A Johnny Ronan firm involved in a long running legal dispute concerning €1m Harry Clarke stained glass windows at Bewley's Cafe on Grafton Street in Dublin recorded post tax losses of €33.17m last year. New accounts filed by RGRE Grafton Ltd show that €9.45m of last year's €33.17m post tax loss concerned receivership costs. Last month, the Ronan Group confirmed that the company had emerged out of receivership as part of a deal that allowed the Ronan Group take back what it called "the jewels in the crown" of the portfolio, namely: 70 Grafton Street, home to PTSB and City Break Apartments, and 78-79 Grafton Street, the location of Bewley's Café, in Dublin 2. A note attached to the new accounts for RGRE Grafton Ltd show that included in the €33.17m loss was a €15.54m loss on the disposal of investment properties and a latent Capital Gains Tax (CGT) charge of €4.5m. The loss also takes account of a €2.9m gain in the value of the property portfolio. The note states that the company owes €38.59m to a credit institution and €67.25m to group companies of which €39.75m is reflected as subordinated loans. The note adds that in November 2023, as a result of high interest rates and a significant decrease in commercial property values, which gave rise to bank covenant issues, the directors invited its senior lenders, the Bank of Ireland to appoint a receiver over the secured assets. The note states that during 2024, the receiver marketed the company's investment properties for sale and following this process two properties were sold for €18.45m. The note states that in addition, the company acquired a property in 2024 for €10.3m from a company within the same corporate group and subsequently sold it to a third party. The note states that the "combined sale proceeds were used to part repay the senior lender's loans and pay receiver and sales costs". The note states that in November 2024, the receiver entered into an agreement with another entity within the same corporate group for the sale of the company's shares. It states: "Upon completion, the company had no further obligations to its previous lenders and successfully exited receivership." The directors believe that following the completion of the share sale, the new financing arrangement, cessation of receivership the company will be able to meet its obligations as they fall due. The book value of the company's investment properties at the start of 2024 totalled €61.19m and was valued at €30.1m at the end of December 2024. This was after disposals of €44.2m during the year and additions of €10.3m and the €2.9m gain in book value. In February, the Supreme Court agreed to hear another appeal over the ownership of the Harry Clarke stained glass windows in Bewley's Cafe in Grafton Street, Dublin. It followed a 2-1 decision of the Court of Appeal (CoA) last July that all six of the windows belong to the owner of the premises, RGRE Grafton Ltd. A dissenting judgment found that two of the windows were owned by Bewley's and the other four were "tenant's fixtures". That decision differed from a 2023 High Court decision that only four of the windows belonged to RGRE while the other two were the property of the tenant, Bewley's Café Grafton Street (BCGS) Ltd and its subsidiary Bewley's Ltd.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council spends £30k removing ‘noisy' speed bump amid £45m deficit
A cash-strapped council has spent £30,000 to remove a 'noisy' speed bump that cost £4,000 to install last year. Norfolk County Council built the speed bump and a zebra crossing in the town of Dereham to make the area safer for pedestrians, including pupils at nearby Northgate High School. But residents complained that heavy lorries would make a loud rattling noise when they drove over the raised portion of road, prompting the council to remove it less than a year later. The Tory-controlled town hall was forced to make sweeping cuts and tax rises to plug a £44.7m budget shortfall for the 2025-26 financial year. Kay Mason Billig, leader of Norfolk County Council, has previously warned that the authority could go bust unless the Government helps with its growing financial pressures. She said the authority was experiencing 'the toughest financial challenges the council has ever faced'. The council has confirmed council tax will rise by 4.99pc in the April 2025-26 tax year – the maximum amount local authorities can raise the levy without a referendum. The project to install the speed bump and zebra crossing on Quebec Road in Dereham cost the authority £216,343, with the speed bump itself costing £4,400 to build. The council has not removed the zebra crossing. Harry Clarke, a Dereham town councillor, said the project had been a 'farce', and pointed out that £30,000 is the same amount the local council is considering taking away from Dereham Meeting Point, a charity that offers day-care for disabled people and over-55s. He added: 'It's a mixture of waste and incompetence and lack of communication. It's not rocket science to install a speed bump. 'There's an unfortunate parallel with the charity which is under threat from having £30,000 withdrawn. Residents will draw their own conclusions.' Norfolk County Council is struggling to balance the books due to rising demand for adult social care and children's services. In December, the local authority said it would switch off 1,000 street lights in a bid to save cash. Powering street lights costs the council around £4m per year, and the proposal would save an estimated £200,000 per year. In February, the Government agreed to provide Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to 30 councils in England for the 2025-26 financial year. Norfolk County Council was not among them. A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: 'The new zebra crossing and wider improvements carried out as part of this project have improved road safety in the area and we will continue to monitor the performance of the new crossing facility and traffic speeds at this location. 'It was necessary to remove the raised element of the zebra crossing due to the increased noise disturbance caused to neighbouring properties. 'We fully understand local feelings on wider council decisions but must stress that government funding for highway improvements cannot be used to support other frontline services.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sheff Utd sign Ipswich defender Clarke
Sheffield United have signed Ipswich Town defender Harry Clarke on loan until the end of the season. The 23-year-old won promotion to the Premier League with Ipswich last season and has made seven top-flight appearances for them this campaign. He is the fourth player to join the Blades, who are second in the Championship, this month after midfielder Hamza Choudhury and forwards Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon. "Where the boys are here, going for promotion, it was a no-brainer really," he told the club website. "It's a tough league; anyone can beat anyone on their day. I know what it took last year so hopefully I can bring that experience. "I am young but I've been there, so hopefully we can achieve something this year." Clarke started his career at Arsenal and had loan spells with Oldham, Ross County, Hibernian and Stoke before joining his hometown team Ipswich in January 2023. He helped Ipswich finish second in League One that season and was part of the squad that secured back-to-back promotions the following campaign as they finished second in the Championship. Latest Sheffield United news, analysis and fan views Get Sheffield United news sent straight to your phone Transfers - January 2025
