Really enjoyed this memoir from the reserved shelves of Libraries NI. An account of three artists, George Campbell, Gerard Dillon and James MacIntyre spending the summer of 1951 on the Island of Inishlacken on the western coast of Ireland across from Roundstone, County Galway. James was the youngest of the three and the author of the memoir. Gerard died in 1971, George in 1979 and James in 2015.
What I liked about this memoir was the sense of comradeship and adventure back in the early 1950s. The stories of the artistic community in Belfast of the time and the familiar (to me) places mentioned all combined to keep me turning the pages. There are delightful pen portraits of the characters and islanders. The observations on the work of artists developing their style were fascinating.
I went in search of this book having heard about it through the publicity for an event in the FE McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge. Back in November 2025 the Friends of the Gallery hosted an artist talk by Rosie McGurran on the Inislacken Project in County Galway. Sadly I didn't make it to that and went in search of the book. The local library worked the magic!
Published by The Blackstaff Press, Belfast in 1996 it is handsomely produced with dozens of line drawings, colour reproductions and photographs on high quality paper - a pleasure to hold.
I've rated it highly as I often do for books that I would like to read again and would like to have on my shelves at home. I have noticed that it fetches a high price from resellers online. I suppose that's the way of art and artists. They scratch out living, selling their work to buy materials and their next meal. Then when they leave us their work attracts a posthumous fortune.
I am delighted that the author recorded that summer and gave us a chance to share in that memory.
A delight.
Details:
Title: Three Men on an Island
Author: James MacIntyre
Published: The Blackstaff Press, Belfast 1996
ISBN: 0-85640-582-5
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