Henry O'Neill, born Clonmel County Tipperary, (The same County that
former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's people hailed from.)in 1798.
Both his parents died when he was a young boy, and he went to live
with his fathers sister Sarah O'Neill, who had a haberdashhery shop
in South Great Georges St., in the centre of Dublin, three to four
minutes walk from Trinity College.
Sarah looked the young Henry and provided him with a good education.
In 1815 he enrolled in the Dublin Society School where he studied
art, he was an exemplary student and went through with flying
colours. He was presented with a silver medal by the school in
1825 "as a reward for his talents".

Henry had a row with his aunt over money, and moved out, and took up
lodgings with his mothers people. He exibited at the Royal Hibernian
Academy (R. H. A.) for the first time in 1835, and was elected an
associate member in 1837. He worked for a while as a drawing teacher
in Dublin, he also had a job in Trinity College for a short period of
time in 1841, in 1844 he resigned from the R. H. A. in a fit of
pique,because they would make him a full member. Even though not a
member he still continued to exibit at the annual R. H. A. exibition
untill 1879. Also in 1844 he was awarded a prize of ten pounds for a
lithograph he made of an Irish Minstrel.

Henry was finding it difficult making a decent living in Dublin, so
at the hight of the famine in Ireland, he headed for London to seek
fame and fortune, alas without sucess. His circumstances in London
were so bad, that he was driven by extreme poverty to join the
British Army, fortunately his friends got to hear of his distress and
bought him out, whereupon he returned to Dublin.

His first book was published in 1855,it was called "Descriptive
Catalouge of Illustrations of the Fine Arts of Ireland"

O'Neill's most famous book was puplished in 1857, "Illustrations of
the Most Interesting of the Sculpted Crosses of Ancient Ireland," it
consists of 36 tinted lithographs drawn to scale. Accompanying this
work was an essay on Ancient Irish Art and descriptions of the prints.

This book had a major influence on the Celtic Revival in Ireland,
especialy in regard to the making of Celtic Crosses in stone, modeled
on the old Irish High Crosses, that the book provided easy references
for.

Peter Harbison writing in his book on Irish High Crosses ,he is
discussing the influences on O'Neill, and the influence O'Neill's
book had, he makes these comments, writing on The Great Exhibition
held in Dublin in 1853 he writes," But more importantly, the
Exhibition must have spurred on Henry O'Neill to produce
his "Illustrations ect."... which is the first book to have
concentrated soley on the crosses and which attempted to interpret at
least some of the panels." Further down the page he is commenting on
O'Neill's influence on scolarship and he remarks that Margaret Stokes
in her book "Early Christian Art in Ireland" when writing on the High
Crosses, owed much to O'Neill's book. Harbison then goes on to
write, "O'Neill's influence is also strongly felt in a book by the
Scottish scholar J. Romilly Allen-"Early Christian Symbolism in Great
Britian and Ireland before the thirteenth century"-which appeared in
1887."

In 1863 his "Fine Arts of Ancient Ireland " was published illustrated
with seven chromo- lithgraphs by himself and woodcuts by a man called
G. Hanlon. The pagans on the list if any , may be pleased to learn
that in this book he tried to argue the case for a pagan origin for
the round towers of Ireland.

In 1868 his pamphlet " IRELAND FOR THE IRISH, A Practial, Peaceable,
and Just Solution of the Irish Land Question " was published. In one
chapter he is having a go at the British Press and their attidude of
support for oppressed nations while ignoring the one on their
doorstep, and he quotes a very apt verse of the time by the Irish
poet Tom Moore.
"Thus self-pleased still the same dishonouring chain
She binds in Ireland, she would break in Spain
While praised at distance, but at home forbid,
Rebles in Cork are patriots at Madrid "

In 1877 the first part of " The Round Towers of Ireland " was
published by M. H. Gill & Son. ( The firm where I got my first job )

Besides all this activity Henry was drawing and painting, water
colour and oils, though he favoured water colour. He also
collaborated with other artists on other book projects.

Henry O'Neill was an incredibly talented man, and the breath of his
learning was astonishing, he also seemed to have lived a full life as
a man, he was married twice. He was very headstrong,and had firm
views that he was not shy about expressing, and in modern parlance,
he got up peoples and institutions noses.Unfortunately he seems to
have been disappionted and disillusioned before he died. I think its
the fate of every visionary who does not become mystic to be unhappy
about the way things turn out. Herry died the 21st Dec. 1880 in
Dublin.

He left a widow and four children, with very little money in the
kitty, and its with some sadness one see's written on the reprint of
O'Neill's pamphlet "Ireland For ect..." 1880 " "(All rights reserved
for the benefit of the Authors Widow )" I think that tells its own
story.

Henry O'Neill was buried in Glasnevin Cemetey Dublin, I dont know at
this precise moment wheather he has a great big Celtic Cross marking
his final resting place. But to be honest from the main gates of
Glasnevin down to where Henry is laid to rest, is in a way one
gigantic monument to him,this area of the cemetey has some of the
finest Celtic Revival work in stone to be seen anywhere. The
workmanship is exquisite,and in a lot of cases very creative and
original.Maybe if Henry could have a little peek above ground he
would not feel so disappointed.

Just one question for the Father I am interested to know how a
rubbing from a bronze cross turned to stone ?

America for the World Cup.
Aidan Breen