Exhibition inspired by Liam's letters

The usually closed doors of The Coal Shed in Fermoy have opened to the public.

On the other side is To The Letter, an exhibition commissioned as part of Cork County Council’s Commemorations Programme. Through the exhibition, award-winning artist and theatre designer Dolores Lyne is marking the centenary of her grand-uncle Liam Lynch, Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty IRA. Inspired by a trove of personal letters written by Liam to his brother Tom, the confidant in whom he felt safe writing unique letters that covered the most dramatic and tragic events of Lynch’s life in the War of Independence and the Civil War. Works on canvas, the paintings focus on incidents and stories drawn from the brothers’ correspondence. The letters are brought to life, referencing real places and people only hinted at or concealed behind initials, decoding at last the real addresses, the people who opened their homes and their hearts. ‘To The Letter’ will initially be presented in three linked exhibitions, in Fermoy and Mitchelstown public libraries and in a repurposed historic building The Coal Shed in Blackwater Shopping Centre, Fermoy.

Unchanged in a century, the atmospheric Coal Shed directly connects the artworks to the era. Filled with Dolores Lyne’s exciting new works, it will be a dramatic space to encounter these important paintings, and a powerful exploration of Cork history. Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Danny Collins said: “This exhibition is a sensitive exploration of Liam Lynch’s activities in County Cork. Combining personal letters and archive material, with research and her painting practice, Dolores Lyne has brought a unique perspective on our history.” Dolores followed the letters back to the locations across County Cork where they were written, visiting remote and beautiful hill farms, the safe houses that provided sanctuary where Liam was protected and cherished. She met the descendants of those who had sheltered him, and they shared their stories with her. She said: ”There’s the ‘public Liam’ but these are private letters. They provided me with the spark for a personal, non-political contemplation of his last years, the places where he stayed and the people who looked after him. It’s my creative response, as an artist. Deputy Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Deirdre O' Brien and Gerard Shannon, historian and biographer of Liam Lynch will officially opened the exhibition on Sunday. It runs until 12 April from 11am-6pm and coincides with the Liam Lynch commemorations in Fermoy. Exhibitions at Fermoy and Mitchelstown Libraries are open in April.