A new exhibition to commemorate the centenary of the unveiling of the Cork War Memorial on the South Mall, on March 17, 1925, has opened in Cork Public Museum.
The main feature of the exhibition is the earliest known painted copy of the iconic Great War painting, The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue du Bois by Italian artist, Fortunino Matania. The painting depicts the 2nd Battalion of Royal Munster Fusiliers receiving general absolution on the eve of battle from their chaplain, Father Gleeson (May 8th, 1915). The following day, the British Army lost 11,000 men, dead or wounded, during the Battle of Aubers Ridge, of which 300 came from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers. Of these 300, 95% were Irish, with at least 50 connected to Cork City and County.
The original painting is believed to have been lost in the bombing of London during the Second World War, however the version currently on display at Cork Public Museum was specifically commissioned from the artist in 1919 by Alfred Robinson to celebrate the safe return of his son from the war. The painting stayed with the Robinson family until it was sold at auction last year. Thankfully, it was purchased by Willie and Mary Slattery from Dublin who very generously loaned it to Cork Public Museum for public display.
Commenting on the exhibition, Daniel Breen, Curator of Cork Public Museum said: “Cork Public Museum is delighted to be able to display this wonderful and historic painting to the public for the first time ever. The original Last General Absolution of the Munsters on the Rue du Bois is considered one of the most iconic paintings of the Great War and is internationally beloved for capturing the brutal futility of war, as well as illustrating the courage of the soldiers and the sacrifices made by their families. It is said that in the decades after the war, nearly every house on the Cork’s northside had a print of this image hanging on their wall, a reminder of how many Cork families lost sons, husbands and brothers during the conflict.”
The painting was inspired by the 1915 book ‘The Story of the Munsters’, which was written by Jessie Rickard, a well-known novelist and wife of Colonel Victor Rickard, one of the officers depicted in the painting and who also lost his life during the Battle of Aubers Ridge. Though Dublin-born, Jessie Rickard spent much of her life in Cork and is buried in Rathcooney cemetery.
This exhibition touches on the lives and experiences of some of the men depicted in the painting, utilising original object and personal possessions to tell their stories, including that of Private Christy Barry, of Douglas Street, who was present for the last absolution and who also lost his life in the following day’s battle.
We encourage everyone to visit the museum and grasp the rare opportunity to view such a historic painting in person.