Re: Re: reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches

Apelles, Your perfectly right, many church interiors were redecorated in completley different decorative schemes throughout the years , some more ,and some less elaborate than the previous schemes. A recent restoration project in Limerick revealed three different elaborate decorative schemes in a side altar of the Redemptorist Church ,carried out between 1868 and 1942 each one completly obliterated the previous ,until finally being whitewashed in the 60’s, but now restored back to the original scheme of 1868 . The ‘ Early ‘ drawing of the Redemptorist Apse is definatley not St.Alphonsus church in Limerick, more probably dublin or dundalk. Early’s rarely worked in the decorative side of the business south of Dublin as Hodkinsons had established a strong business presence in the area from Sligo down to Cork and back up to Kildare.There was a friendly rivalry,and a mutual respect, between both businesses with each rarely venturing into the others territory. Of course , Earlys had a more varied business with their marble-works and stained glass business ,both areas into which Hodkinsons again rarely ventured , although they were agents for an English stained glass firm at one stage in their history. The decoration in Fermoy Parish Church may have been the only scheme as it remained in place for several decades.

Thanks for explaining that james1852 I often wondered if back then these competing firms would have been in anyway territorial..I like the idea of a friendly rivalry between them..(sneaking in for a peak when the rivals job was complete). I read in an interview that James Hodkinson came over to Ireland from Manchester in 1852 with James Earley & both firms were established in that year..Do you know if they served their apprenticeship together in Manchester? or if once established here they indulged in the old tradition that was apparently common then, of sending your own apprentice to serve their time or at least some of it with a rival company of decorators, or was it always Inhouse Training only?