Carlow audience hears how press cartoons shaped Ireland's legal history
Martin Nevin, CHAS president Helen Doyle and Richard Codd
FROM Home Rule leader Charles Stewart Parnell right up to the internationally acclaimed Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap, press cartoons have played an important part in depicting landmark legal moments in Irish history.
Members of Carlow Historical & Archaeological Society (CHAS) were treated to a talk on the topic by Felix Larkin, former academic director of the Parnell Summer School and a co-founder and former chairman of the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland. The talk took place in the Seven Oaks hotel on Wednesday 18 February.
The lecture covered a wide historical range, from the 1798 Rising to contemporary times, showing how public figures were depicted either heroically or negatively depending on the artist's or publication's stance – Parnell was depicted as handsome by the Irish press and a ‘small, wartlike person’ by newspapers catering to the British aristocracy.
Paul Curran, who is CRO of CHAS and has delivered many talks for the society, was present and explained how these cartoons served as powerful, often biased, social commentary and still continue to.
“The right cartoon is like the right photograph,” he said. “They would’ve been very popular in the early 20th century before photography took hold and it was a great way of making a point without insulting anybody too much.” Mr Curran said Mr Larkin was “very knowledgeable” and took plenty of questions from the audience. “I really enjoyed the talk,” he added.
While some legal cartoons made political points while poking fun, others took on a more serious or even harrowing tone. Mr Curran pointed to Martyn Turner’s famous 1992 cartoon for The Irish Times about the X Case and abortion law, which depicted a girl holding a teddy bear standing on the island of Ireland – on Carlow, as it happens – where she is fenced in and trapped. The caption reads: ‘The introduction of internment in Ireland ... for 14-year-old girls.’ “Turner is 78 now and Larkin mentioned a lot of his images during the talk,” said Mr Curran, speaking to the impact of this one cartoonist for a national newspaper.
Bringing the lecture right up to the present day, Mr Larkin also showed an image, as described by Mr Curran, of Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (Mo Chara) depicted as a statue with a tricolour balaclava over his head. “And we all know the controversy he was in and that he actually was found to be innocent,” Mr Curran said.
For those interested in history, CHAS offers a regular programme of talks on Irish and local history and is currently looking for new members and new topics. Past subjects have included Carlow showbands, the history of Carlow Workman’s Club and its ambulance service, all of which can be viewed on the society’s YouTube channel.
