Micheál De Búrca
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Micheál de Búrca (31 December 1912 – 9 December 1985), born Michael Bourke, was an Irish artist from
Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...
who was appointed Director of the
National College of Art and Design The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of t ...
in 1942. He primarily painted landscapes and seascapes using oil paints on board and watercolours on board respectively. His work "Summer Evening,
Achill Achill Island (; ) is an island off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the barony (Ireland), historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a popu ...
" has been used in several books and collections to date.


Early life

Micheál de Búrca was born in 1913 in Tipperary. He was reared in Maryland House, Castlebar, the Bourke family residence at the time, by Thomas Bourke, a businessman, and his wife, Madge. The Bourkes' business started in 1881 and included harnesses, saddlery, bicycles, motorcars, a cinema and a power generation station which provided Castlebar with electricity.


Education

Michael began his education at St. Gerald's College in Castlebar, then studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art (forerunner to the National College of Art and Design).


Career

After finishing his studies Michael was appointed as an Art Inspector within the Department of Education. It was at this time that he visited schools and drew up the national art syllabus for secondary schools. In 1941 following the unexpected sudden death of George Atkinson, then Director of the National College of Art, Michael was appointed to the position of Acting Director. Shortly thereafter in 1942 Michael was appointed Director. It was because of this position that he changed his name to the Irish form (Micheál de Búrca) because the Director was required to be a Gaeilgeoir (an
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
enthusiast). He was already fluent in Irish. He used the signature Michael Bourke initially, before switching to Micheál de Búrca. He continued to paint and exhibit as the Director. During World War II he re-introduced stained glass, screen printing, weaving and metal work to the college's curriculum. To facilitate this expansion he encouraged Patrick McElroy, a blacksmith and RAF veteran with CIÉ to lecture on enamelling and fine art metalwork. Around the same time he organised a travelling art exhibition to take art by rail to technical schools around the country. The aim of which was "to awaken interest in art and encourage art teaching". About 60 works were involved in this exhibition, all donated by artists and owners for the length of the exhibition. The exhibition tour also included works by: Sir
John Lavery Sir John Lavery (20 March 1856 – 10 January 1941) was an Irish painter best known for his portraits and wartime depictions. Life and career John Lavery was born in inner North Belfast, on 20 March 1856 and baptised at St Patrick's Church ...
, Walter Osborne, Nathaniel Hone,
Patrick Tuohy Patrick Tuohy (27 February 1894 – August 1930) was an Irish portrait, narrative, and genre painter. Early life Patrick Joseph Tuohy was born in Dublin on 27 February 1894, at 77 Lower Dorset Street. His parents were the surgeon, John Jos ...
, Maurice MacGonigal, Seán O'Sullivan,
Jack Butler Yeats Jack Butler Yeats RHA (29 August 1871 – 28 March 1957) was an Irish artist. Born into a family of impoverished Anglo-Irish landholders, his father was the painter John Butler Yeats, and his brother was the poet W. B. Yeats. Jack B. was bo ...
, John Keating, Laetitia Hamilton,
James Humbert Craig James Humbert Craig (12 July 1877 in Belfast – 12 June 1944) was an Irish painter.Craig was born in Belfast to Alexander Craig, a tea merchant, and a Swiss mother, Marie Metzenen, from a family with a painting tradition. He was raised in ...
, Harry Kernoff, and Charles Lamb.


Later life

Michael retired in 1971 and moved back to Westport, where he died in 1985.


Themes and style

Michael's medium was painting, mostly with oil on canvas or oil on board but he commonly used watercolours on board for paintings that featured any expanse of water. The initial image was usually sketched in pencil and later filled with colour. Michael drew most of his inspiration from nature and the West of Ireland. This is reflected by his works, the majority of which were created in the West, often at
Achill Island Achill Island (; ) is an island off the west coast of Ireland in the historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a population of 2,345 in the 2022 census. ...
in Mayo,
Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
in Galway, and the surrounding areas. He had a particular liking for painting mountains and expanses of water, often in the same painting. He also painted a significant number of harbour and quay scenes, depicting fishermen at work, currachs, trawlers, Galway hookers and various piers.


Exhibitions

Micheal used to attend and exhibit his paintings at numerous exhibitions around the country, notably the annual RHA Exhibition and the NCAD Exhibition. There have also been two posthumous exhibitions, one in 1988 in the Marketing Centre in
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
, and one in 2009 in the Customs House in Westport, coinciding with the Westport Arts Festival of 2009.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Burca, Micheal 1912 births 1985 deaths 20th-century Irish artists People from Castlebar People from Tipperary (town) Alumni of the National College of Art and Design People educated at St Gerald's College, Castlebar Artists from County Mayo Artists from County Tipperary