Irish Eyes

By Mattie Lennon

“ Opera in English is, in the main, just about as sensible as baseball in Italian.”
--Henry Louis Menchen.

I wonder if Mr Menchen had anything to say about an opera in Irish?

The first full length opera in the Irish language was Eithne, its premier occurring at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival in 1909. Based on the Irish legend Éan an Cheoil Bhinn (The Bird of Sweet Music), it was a significant cultural event for the Gaelic revival movement and was well-received and after a run of performances at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin during the summer of 1910, which was cut short by the death of King Edward VII, it was almost forgotten for more than a century until it was revived by the Opera Theatre Company in 2017, which performed and recorded the entire work at Dublin’s National Concert Hall. It featured singers Orla Boylan, Gavan Ring, Robin Tritschler and Eamonn Mulhall and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.

But why am I writing about opera? It is because I happen to know a grandson of Robert O’ Dwyer ( Riobárd Ó Duibhir) the composer of Eithne,

“I should like much to hear this opera again, under more favourable conditions – to hear it in a proper theatre, with a proper stage, full scenery, and better soloists." The words of JJ O'Toole in the Irish nationalist newspaper the Leader following the first performance of Eithne in 1909. After the concert performance by Opera Theatre Company, with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall, audience members expressed almost the same opinion apart from any criticism of the soloists. Nobody had any criticism of the composer.

Robert O'Dwyer was born, 07th January 1862 to Irish parents , who didn’t use the “O”, in Bristol, where he received private musical education and acted as a chorister and assistant organist during the years 1872 to 1891. His interest in opera manifested itself initially by becoming the conductor of a local amateur opera company in 1889, before he became a conductor of the Carl Rosa Opera Society (1891–97) and the Arthur Rousby Opera Company (1892–96), with which he undertook tours throughout the British Isles. After one such tour he settled in Dublin in 1897, where he held various positions as organist in the counties of Dublin and Wicklow. From 1899 he taught music at the Royal University of Ireland and from 1901 conducted the choir of the Gaelic League, for which he wrote numerous arrangements of Irish traditional music and Sean nos songs.

He also wrote articles and concert reviews for The Leader, which became an outlet for his increasingly nationalist views. O'Dwyer completed his major composition, the three-act opera Eithne, in 1909, on the strengths of which he was appointed Professor of Irish Music at University College Dublin (1914–1939). Although he wrote (and published) a number of other works, including a second opera, none of his later works came near the success and significance of Eithne. He died in Dublin in 1949. It would be a pity if this unique work had to wait another 107 years before some world-renowned Opera Company staged it.

On the subject of matters artistic, the most famous Auctioneering firm in Ireland is about to sell a collection of books left by one of Ireland’s best known publicans, Tommy Smith.

The auctioneer told me, “Our involvement with Tommy Smith and his book collection started in the last year so we had no personal interaction with Tommy himself. It was the executors of his will who made contact with us as we are the only dedicated book auction house within all of the island of Ireland." Tommy was an avid book collector but not just a collector; he genuinely loved his books, whether it be Irish literature or Irish poetry. There was a really nice article about Tommy on RTE a number of years ago:

https://www.rte.ie/culture/2020/0210/1114389-tommy-smith-rip-a-legendary-dublin-publican-remembered/

We collected Tommy’s books back in May of this year and began to process the books at the end of July – in all, there are c.25,000 books divided between individual lots, bundles of books and boxes of books. The top lot in the sale is undoubtedly, Lot 276 the infamous copy of Kavanagh’s Tarry Flynn which blew apart his libel court case back in 1954 – it is estimated at €3,000 to €6,000 although bids have already exceeded the lower estimate. There are numerous online articles going back over the years about this nugget of Irish literary history. This link will give you all the auction info and images:
https://www.purcellauctioneers.ie/catalogue/lot/c8ddb91bf7e13bccf7a376f6e4361533/81b29ab6fa187a02a829c1899b734425/two-day-sale-of-the-library-of-the-late-tommy-smith-gr-lot-276/

There is a super first edition of At Swim Two Birds by Flann O’Brien with the ultra-rare original dust jacket and is estimated at €2,000-€4,000 although bids again have exceeded the lower estimate – this is the link for that lot etc.:
https://www.purcellauctioneers.ie/catalogue/lot/44ce812c1fa29bf8d732a42441a03808/81b29ab6fa187a02a829c1899b734425/two-day-sale-of-the-library-of-the-late-tommy-smith-gr-lot-333/

It really is some of the very best of the best of works by Ireland’s leading writers and poets, of which really very many, were personal friends of Tommy Smith – many of the works are signed and many dedicated to Tommy himself.

Sale Dates:

Wed 3rd Sep 2025 10am (Lots 1 to 500)

hu 4th Sep 2025 10am (Lots 501 to 963)

Telephone(s): 00353 579120270<

See you in October.