THE SOCIAL NETWORK:The artist Manus Walsh heard many plaudits to his late grandfather during the opening of his art exhibition at the Leinster Gallery in Dublin on Tuesday evening.
His grandfather Maurice Walsh, the author, wrote The Quiet Man, a short story that was later turned into the Academy Award-winning film starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.
“We lived beside him in Stillorgan, and he used to call into us every week. He never pushed it [his success] and was very modest,” said the artist, who moved to Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, with his family in 1976.
Minister for Arts Jimmy Deenihan, who opened the exhibition, is a fan of the author. “I think he was the greatest short-story writer this country has ever produced. I think The Key Above the Door is a classic.”
In 1959 Manus worked in a graphic studio; then, in 1960, he worked in Abbey Stained Glass Studios, where he first trained in stained glass. One of his commissions was five windows for Galway Cathedral. The artist George Campbell encouraged him to pursue a career as a painter.
Angela Garcia arrived with her friend Hugo Magadan; they both work for Ryanair. Garcia is the girlfriend of Walsh’s son, Cormac.
Who we spotted?Dr Olive Braiden, chair of National Gallery; Evelyn Byrne of the Irish Heritage Trust; and Alli Roche of de Vere's.
