Harry Clarke’s Geneva Window and the Irish Free State

Clarke, an internationally regarded book illustrator, expertly transferred his drawing skills to stained glass, producing fluid imagery unusual in a medium known for its formality. He achieved nuanced detail and rich color through layers of acid-etched colored class.

For each author selected, Clarke created a vignette illustrating a single work. Many were key figures in the Irish Literary Revival; Synge’s Playboy of the Western World, for example, is considered a quintessentially Irish story, with its tragedy, humor, and eloquence.

The completed window nonetheless stirred controversy when presented to the Irish government. In one example, officials were disturbed by the way the eponymous playboy’s tight breeches emphasized his “virility.”

Many of the vignettes caused consternation. The “diaphanous gown” in this scene from Liam O’Flaherty’s Mr. Gilhooly scandalized viewers. Nudity abounds in the panels, as does the implication of sexual encounter.

Alcohol was also a problem. Multiple panels, including this scene from Juno and the Paycock, pay homage to the role of liquor in Irish literature. While the play was popular with audiences at the Abbey Theatre, this was not the vision of Ireland the government wished to project.

Religion also caused trouble. In response to the presence of  Protestant writers in the window,  President W. T. Cosgrave  stated, “the inclusion of scenes from certain authors as representative of Irish literature and culture would give grave offense to many of our people.”

James Joyce was one of those “certain authors,” was considered morally corrupt by much of Ireland’s social, political, and religious leadership. His Ulysses had already been banned for its sexual content.

Ultimately, the Irish government rejected the window, refusing to install it in Geneva on the basis that it did not project the desired image of a modern Irish identity. This crushing blow deeply affected an already ill Clarke who died shortly after completing the commission.

"The Beauty of the world hath made me sad, this beauty that will pass. Sometimes my heart hath shaken with great joy..." Patrick (Pádraig) Pearse, The Wayfarer

"They bruised his brow with their crowns of briars; They mocked him with every ugly thing; He that could shrivel them all with fire; He held his silence, and he a King!" Lady Gregory, The Story Brought by Brigit

"Well the heart's a wonder; and, I'm thinking, there won't be our like in Mayo, for gallant lovers, from this hour, to-day." The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge 

"And now they pause in their dancing and look with troubled eyes, Earth straying children, with sudden memory wise." The Others by Seumas O'Sullivan

"She came towards him dancing, moving the folds of the veil, so that they unfolded slowly, as she danced." Liam O'Flaherty, Mr. Gilhooley

"I know the great gift we will give to the Gail will be a memory to pity and sigh over; and I shall be the priestess of tears." George AE Russell, Deirdre

"The widow thought that the world was strange, the sky extraordinary, the man's head against the red sky a wonder, a poem." Seumas O'Kelly, The Weaver's Grave

"There's Music along the river For Love wanders there. Pale flowers on his Mantle, Dark leaves on his hair." James Joyce, "On Music"