Kitty MacCormack (1892 – 1975) was an Irish designer with the

Dun Emer Guild The Dun Emer Guild (1902–1964) was an Irish Arts and Crafts textile studio founded in 1902 by Evelyn Gleeson, initially in partnership with Elizabeth and Lily Yeats as Dun Emer Industries and Press. History The Dun Emer Guild was the textile pr ...

, theatre set designer, actress and author.

Early life and family

Kitty MacCormack (sometimes spelt McCormack) was the daughter of Constance MacCormack, and niece of

Evelyn Gleeson Evelyn Gleeson (15 May 1855 – 20 February 1944) was an England, English embroidery, carpet, and tapestry designer, who along with Elizabeth Yeats, Elizabeth and Lily Yeats established the Dun Emer Press. Early life and education Evelyn Gleeso ...

. She was born in 1892, and after the death of her father in 1902, the family lived with Gleeson at her home, at Runnemede, Sandyford Road,

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 ...

with her mother and siblings, Grace (1898-1982) and Edward (1889-1906). With her sister, McCormack worked in the

from a young age, particularly after the Yeats sisters left Dun Emer to form Cuala Industries.

Theatrical work

MacCormack also did some acting, theatre set design and was an author. She appeared in

Joseph Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett (Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Joseph Mary Plunkett married Grace Giffo ...

's 1912 play ''The Dance of Osiris'' at the Hardwicke Theatre, and designed the sets. She often acted under the name Catia or Caitia Nic Cormac. She also designed sets for the

Irish National Theatre Society The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

, Theatre Company of Ireland and the Dublin Drama League.

Career at Dun Emer

Some of her most notable works are the tapestries for the

Honan Chapel The Honan Chapel (, formally Saint Finbarr's Collegiate Chapel and The Honan Hostel Chapel) is a small Catholic church built in the Hiberno-Romanesque revival style on the grounds of University College Cork, Ireland. Designed in 1914, the buil ...

, Cork in 1917, the vestments for St Patrick's church, San Francisco in 1923, and a carpet presented to

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

in 1931. The carpet commissioned in an effort by Ireland's ambassador to the Vatican,

Charles Bewley Charles Henry Bewley (12 July 1888 – 1969) was an Irish diplomat. Raised in a famous Dublin Quaker business family, he embraced Irish Republicanism and Roman Catholicism. He was the Irish envoy to Berlin who reportedly thwarted efforts to obta ...

, to secure Ireland as the host of the 1932 International Eucharistic Congress. It was designed by MacCormack, took workers in the Guild almost 4 months to hand weave and cost £450. As "The Pope's Carpet" it was exhibited in

Clerys Clerys was a long-established department store on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland, a focal point of the street. The business dates from 1853, however the current building dates from 1922, having been completely destroyed in the 1916 Easte ...

from 19 to 30 January 1931. She designed the poster for the 1927 "Grand Pageant of Dublin History". She also developed a set of designs for judicial robes for

W. T. Cosgrave William Thomas Cosgrave (5 June 1880 – 16 November 1965) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as the president of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932, leader of the Opposition in both the Free State and Ire ...

in 1924, drawing on the

Brehon Brehon ( ga, breitheamh, ) is a term for a historical arbitration, mediative and judicial role in Gaelic culture. Brehons were part of the system of Early Irish law, which was also simply called "Brehon law". Brehons were judges, close in import ...

style sketches of which are held in

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

Archives. In 1911 and 1920, she exhibited at the Oireachtas Art Exhibitions, and with the

Water Colour Society of Ireland Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI) is a watercolour society in Ireland, founded in 1870. The Society held its first exhibition in the Courthouse, Lismore, County Waterford in May 1871. History The ''Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI)'' w ...

throughout the 1920s. MacCormack was also an illustrator, beginning with Christmas card designs for Dun Emer in the 1910s. She illustrated John Hackett Pollock's 1919 ''The wisdom of the world: A book of wonder-tales'' published by

Colm Ó Lochlainn Colm Ó Lochlainn (1892 – 26 June 1972) was a printer, typographer, collector of Irish ballads and traditional Irish Uilleann piper. He was notably the author of ''Irish Street Ballads'' published in 1939 and ''More Irish Street Ballads'' in 1 ...

's Candle Press under Pollock's pseudonym An Philibín. MacCormack edited a volume for Ó Lochlainn in 1920, ''The Book of St Ultan; a collection of pictures and poems by Irish artists and writers'', proceeds of which went to St Ultan's Hospital. As well as editing, she contributed illustrations and two poems to the volume. After her aunt's death in 1944, MacCormack continued to run Dun Emer Guild until its store on

Harcourt Street Harcourt Street is a street located in Dublin City, Ireland. Location It is a little over in length with its northerly start at the south-east corner of St Stephen's Green and terminates in the south at the point where Adelaide road become ...

closed around 1964.

Death and legacy

MacCormack died in 26 June 1975. A large collection of theatre ephemera collected by MacCormack was sold in 2008. The Kitty MacCormack Archive is held by the Jackie Clarke Archive, and the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...

also holds a collection of her theatre ephemera and letters. A dress designed by MacCormack for Clare Kennedy, the wife of

Hugh Kennedy Hugh Edward Kennedy (11 July 1879 – 1 December 1936) was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal politician, barrister and judge who served as Chief Justice of Ireland from 1924 to 1936, a judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, Supreme Court from 1924 t ...

, is on display as part of ''The Way We Wore'' an exhibition in

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

at Collins Barracks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormack, Kitty 1892 births 1975 deaths Arts and Crafts movement artists Irish designers Embroidery designers Textile designers