"Ballyscunnion" This Article by Mrs Bronte Matthews, daughter of Artist was an imaginary village located in Ireland, depicted in 285

scraperboard Scratchboard (North America and Australia) or scraperboard (Great Britain), is a form of direct engraving where the artist scratches off dark ink to reveal a white or colored layer beneath. Scratchboard refers to both a fine-art medium, and ...

cartoons by the illustrator, painter and comics artist William St. John Glenn RUA. The work was produced on white china scraperboard, painted with black ink and then scraped off with a blade, to produce details. William St John Glenn was born in 1904,Theo Snoddy, "Dictionary of 20th Century Irish Artists". was described as an artist of warmth and gentle humour, and this was present in "Ballyscunnion"The Irish Times, Monday Dec 24th 1990, illustrated article by Kathy Sheridan. as the village came to terms in its own way with the changing world. The work spanned over 30 years and, because the period detail was so accurate, it makes a unique pictorial history of social changes in rural Ireland. The first reference to "Ballyscunnion" appears in a "wash" drawing published in 1937 in Dublin Opinion - a humorous, pictorial magazine which appeared monthly as light relief from the turbulent period following the birth of the nation. Then from late 1938 "Ballyscunnion" appeared in scraperboard and continued this way until 1969, with a break from mid 1940 till 1946, due to illness and the war. In total there were 285 "Ballyscunnions" produced, some reappearing when Dublin Opinion produced a selection of their drawings in booklets and then again when the magazine released a series of three books, entitled ''Fifteen Years of Dublin Opinion'', ''Thirty Years of Dublin Opinion'' and ''Forty Years of Dublin Opinion''.The Evening press, Friday 23rd Sept 1970. "Ballyscunnion, The village That's All In The Mind." An exhibition of "Ballyscunnion" drawings was held at the Irish Club in

Eaton Square Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia ...

in 1970. The exhibition was opened by Sir Charles Petrie, a military historian and Charles E. Kelly, the former editor of the ''Dublin Opinion'', flew to the event from Ireland. Sir Charles suggested that the "Ballyscunnion" collection should be relocated to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, stating that "I am sure the likes of this will not be seen again."''The Irish Times'' March 17, 1970. "Ballyscunnion in London", article within "An Irishman's Diary". William St John Glenn died in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

in 1974.The Irish Times June 12th 1974 "William John Glenn RUA" an article by Rowel Friers. See also ''Chelsea News'' June 14, 1974, "William St. John Glenn, An Appreciation."

References

{{Reflist

External links

Ballyscunnion.net Web Site

Ballyscunnion.com Web Site

Website of William St John Glenn
Irish art Fictional populated places in Ireland