Water Colour Society of Ireland

The WCSI which began as a small local Irish art society in 1870 was founded by six amateur lady painters wishing to expound the virtues of watercolour painting. Largely unknown today the founders, the Baroness Pauline Prochazka, Miss Currey, the two Misses Keane, Miss Musgrave and Miss Phipps organised the first exhibition in May 1871, at Lismore, County Waterford. The Society’s second exhibition also during 1871 was held in Clonmel, County Waterford, under the name of the Amateur Drawing Society. By 1878 it had yet again changed its name to the Irish Fine Art Society. Exhibitions were staged under this ‘banner’ for the next decade when it finally changed to its present incarnation of the Water Colour Society of Ireland.

In 1891 it began showing in Dublin, all previous shows having been held in the Irish provinces. Since 1989 it has had a permanent home at the Gallagher Gallery which is part of the RHA, in Ely Place, Dublin but does occasionally hold shows outside the capital. In 1993 the Society founded a national collection which is housed in the University of Limerick and is on permanent display. Members of note have included Rose Barton, Mildred Anne Butler, George Campbell, Lilian Davidson, Gerard Dillon, Percy French, Brigid Ganly, May Guinness, Letitia Hamilton, Jack Hanlon, Paul Henry, Evie Hone, Nathaniel Hone, Manie Jellet, Harry Kernoff, Gladys MacCabe, Maurice MacGonigal, Nora McGuinness, Frank McKelvey, Kitty Wilmer O’Brien, Walter Osborne, Mary Swanzy, Sarah Purser, Nano Reid, Thomas Ryan, Neil Shawcross and Jack B. Yeats.