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KEVIN KELLY
Born: June 8th, 1926
Died: March 30th, 2019
The talented stained glass artist Kevin Kelly, whose work regularly graced the front page of The Irish Times at Christmas, passed away at his home in North Strand on Saturday, March 30th.
Kelly was brought up in Sandymount and, as was common in the hungry 1930s, left school early and got a job. He joined the Dublin Glass & Paint Co in Abbey Street and gravitated to the mirror silvering and bevelling department where his natural talent for artwork was discovered.
He would carry out sweeping designs that would be transferred on to glass where the bevelling cuts and aciding would take place. This type of artwork was used in entrances of public buildings and hotels such as the Gaiety Theatre and Shelbourne Hotel.
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His job allowed him to become independent to pursue his cultural interests, both at home and abroad. He had a huge interest in the theatre and always attended any new production on opening nights. He also got involved behind the scenes, designing and painting theatre sets.
As word of his talent spread, he was soon spending much of his free time working in theatres and school halls all over Dublin and, in particular, in Marian College.
Kelly’s artistic talent was noticed by Frank Ryan who ran Abbey Stained Glass Studios, part of the Dublin Glass and Paint Co. Ryan gave Kelly the opportunity to design some stained glass windows and he rose to the challenge and his future as a stained glass artist was assured.
The window was reconstructed and it is impossible to tell the new from the old, as Kelly "aged" the artwork before firing it in the kilns
Kelly’s first major project in 1987 was in James’s St Church after a Guinness vat exploded nearby demolishing the east window which had been made by Michael O’Connor Studios almost 100 years earlier. The bits of the huge window were collected and it was left to Kelly to fill in the missing gaps.
Fortunately, Dr Michael Wynne, keeper of the National Gallery, had catalogued the window and it was photographed on a small slide which was blown up to a 3ft sq photo. Between the two experts, the window was reconstructed and it is impossible to tell the new from the old, as Kelly “aged” the artwork before firing it in the kilns.
Success followed and Kelly designed stained glass windows throughout Ireland and the UK. He also designed windows in Columbus, Ohio, New York and Zimbabwe.
In 1996 and 1997 Kelly designed the Christmas stamps for An Post. Two of his nativity scenes – one from Cong, Co Mayo, and the other from Inchigeelagh, west Cork – were used for Unicef Christmas cards which were sold in huge quantities around the world in different languages.
He recreated a Harry Clarke Studios window designed 80 years previously depicting Sts Patrick, Brigid and Columcille which is housed in an illuminated cabinet in Notre Dame University premises on Merrion Square.
Kelly married Mai Clarke in his early 40s. They travelled extensively together with a particular fondness for cruises. Mai survives him along with his nieces and nephews throughout Ireland and the United States.