merrion street

Thursday 21st November 2013: Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will this evening launch (6.30 p.m.) the celebration of the Life and Work of Thomas MacGreevy (1893-1967) in the National Gallery of Ireland.

This is an event to celebrate the life and work of the outstanding writer, poet, art and literary critic Thomas MacGreevy (1893 – 1967). It marks the publication of ‘The Life and Work of Thomas MacGreevy: A Critical Reappraisal’. (Edited by Susan Schreibman and published by Bloomsbury Press.) It will also feature a film documentary ‘Thomas MacGreevy, North Kerry Writer’ and a panel discussion will take place afterwards.

Minister Deenihan commented:

"Although MacGreevy's poetic output might not have been extraordinary, he was far from silent. During his lifetime he wrote hundreds of articles in art, literary and social journals, short stories, a novel, plays (many in the 1940s in collaboration with Geraldine Cummins), monographs on contemporary writers and artists and catalogues of the National Gallery of Ireland's collections"

"It is most fitting that this event to celebrate MacGreevy’s life and works should take place here at the National Gallery of Ireland, where he served as Director from 1950 to 1963. It was here that his hidden talents as an administrator were brought to the fore. During this time he was instrumental in bringing to the Gallery ideas such as a lecture series and in-house restoration, which were commonplace abroad. ”