Enjoy Colours of Christmas Past With Killyleagh Artist Darren ‘Duxy’ Leahy
With Christmas just around the corner, local Killyleagh artist, Darren ‘Duxy’ Leahy, has been back at the canvas again this year and produced another set of Christmas cards, based on scenes from across the locality writes Chris Scott.
Several years ago Duxy released two seasonal cards depicting Killyleagh Castle and Gibb’s Island.
In the run-up to Christmas 2023, he produced four more cards with his original paintings with seasonal scenes Santa Claus at Killyleagh Quay, St. John’s Parish Church, the old church of St Mary Star of the Sea and Downpatrick Cathedral.
The talented artist has produced four more unique scenes associated with the history of Killyleagh and Shrigley.
This year Shrigley Village celebrated the 200th anniversary of its foundation, so it was appropriate for Duxy to capture piece of Shrigley’s history on one of his latest Christmas cards.
The Shrigley card centres around the Martin Memorial Clock tower, the only existing remnant of the original village, erected in the early 1870s.
Several families from the USA had travelled across the Atlantic, earlier this year, to trace their Shrigley roots and take part in the village celebrations.
They not only follow the footsteps of their ancestors but were in the location of where military personnel from their own country had once been billeted during the Second World War.
The American soldiers had arrived in the Shrigley and Killyleagh area on May 20th, 1942, as documented in the new 200th anniversary edition of “Farewell to Dear Old Shrigley” by local Killyleagh author Chris Hagan.
The American soldiers would have not been strangers to another scene featured on Duxy’s festive cards. Walkingshaws at Seaview, Killyleagh, best known for its memorable fish and chips, ice cream, soft drinks and confectionery, has now disappeared from the landscape.
A local story relates the tale of a fracas that took place there during the time the Americans were in town, and centered around an American soldier, the firing of a gun, and a bullet hole in the café, which was visible for many years hence!
In September 1942, it was reported in the local press that U.S. Troops were visiting Northern Irish booksellers and music shops in an attempt to obtain copies of the world-famous ballad titled “The Lament of the Irish Emigrant,” initially a poem, composed by Lady Dufferin in 1839.
It tells the story of an emigrant who is visiting the grave of his wife and child prior to leaving Ireland for a better life.
“They say there’s bread and work for all,
And the sun shines always there;
But I’ll not forget old Ireland,
Were it fifty times as fair.”
One of the American soldiers spoke to a local journalist about the song. He said: “My mother, a native of County Down, often sang it.”
In July 1947 a couple of American tourists from California had Mary’s Stile on their “to-do” list, whilst visiting Ireland.
They had kissed the famous Blarney Stone and visited the Giant’s Causeway, but their visit to Killyleagh “crowned all other experiences.”
One of the tourists spoke to a local reporter and stated “I have never seen a village combining so much beauty and history, and believe me, if we had it in America it would be the mecca for millions.”
In April 1948 two American Army officers and their wives were reported to have paid a visit there as they had heard the song performed during many occasions at Irish gatherings in New York.
The well-known English contralto, Miss Dolby, later Madame Sainton Dolby, said she could go all over the United States with the song due to its popularity in those early Victorian times. Another popular song on her repertoire was another Lady Dufferin composition titled “Katey’s Letter.” Count John McCormack, the famous Irish tenor born in Athlone in 1884, performed in almost every country in the world throughout his career, settling in America and taking citizenship there in 1919.
He made numerous recordings of Lady Dufferin’s popular ballad on the His Master’s Voice label, which would be spinning at 78 revolutions per minute on many household gramophones.
John McCormack would put his talents to use to raise money for those less fortunate. In October 1907 a tragedy was averted when a group of heroic fishermen at Quilty, County Clare, risked their lives and braved seas for two days during a hurricane to rescue the crew of a stranded French ship.
The singer put on a concert in Dublin in early 1908 for the benefit of the Quilty fishermen. Later that year over 75,000 people lost their lives as a result of an earthquake and tsunami in Southern Italy.
John McCormack organised a concert at the Albert Hall, attended by the King and Queen, in aid of the Messina earthquake sufferers.
In one local paper in 1909, the Count’s talent was highlighted. “Like all true artists, McCormack recreates things and makes them seem uncommonly beautiful.”
Local Killyleagh artist, Duxy Leahy, follows in the footsteps of Count McCormack. Over the past number of years he has put his talent to good use and donated numerous pieces of his artwork to raise thousands of pounds for local charities close to his heart.
It is no surprise that another Christmas card in Duxy’s recent series depicts the famous Mary’s Stile situated at the entrance to the remnants of Killyleagh’s oldest church – Killowen. The east gable of the 15th century church is still standing, around which there are an unknown number of burials of former residents of the area.
A century ago, there were numerous postcards in circulation all over the world, many portraying a gentleman sitting on a stile, with several verses of Lady Dufferin’s poem printed below the picture. T
This year, you have the opportunity of sending a unique Christmas card, with a local scene, to friends and relatives all over the world.
Another American connection with Killyleagh surfaced last week, centering around a piece of artwork which has been identified as being possibly Duxy’s first commissioned artwork.
He received an email from a lady in Maryland who had purchased a framed drawing of Killyleagh Parish Church which she located in a second-hand furniture shop in Cockeysville, Maryland.
She was interested to learn about her newly acquired purchase. “Anything you’d be kind enough to share about how this travelled an ocean away would bring a smile to my face.”
“I was absolutely blown away by the email,” said Duxy. It is believed that the original owner of the commissioned work may have passed away and the framed drawing found its way into the second hand furniture shop as a result of a house clearance.
Duxy has also produced a limited series of A3 sized prints, which he will sign, depicting the Mary’s Stile and Shrigley village scenes.
For further details contact Duxy Leahy via his Facebook page – “My Gallery. Duxy Leahy”
