A PAINTING from the world’s largest collection of art relating to the Irish Famine has arrived at Skibbereen Heritage Centre on loan, where it will be on display for the next 12 months.

The Irish Peasant’s Grave by John Joseph Tracey is on loan from Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Connecticut.

The loan forms part of the museum’s ongoing work to preserve this extraordinary Famine-related collection while working to establish a permanent home for it in Connecticut.

Other works from this unique collection previously came to Ireland from the United States as part of the Irish Great Hunger Museum’s Coming Home exhibition in 2018, under the ownership of Quinnipiac University.

The painting depicts a solemn scene of mourning in the Irish countryside as a young mother buries her husband with her two small children at her side.

Painted on the eve of the Great Famine in 1843, the work is particularly poignant because normal burial customs were upended during the years of suffering that followed.

Prior to the Famine, such practices were rigorously observed, and the Irish wake was an integral part of Irish life.

Impromptu burials therefore caused profound distress to those already suffering terribly.

Unveiling the painting, the chair of the West Cork Municipal District, Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire), said: “Skibbereen’s important legacy relating to the Famine is recognised worldwide, and we are committed to continuing to commemorate this important period of Irish history through the Skibbereen Famine Story exhibition at Skibbereen Heritage Centre. This painting will enhance that offering, and we sincerely thank Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield for generously sharing it with the people of Cork.”

John Foley, president of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, said: “We are delighted to see The Irish Peasant’s Grave on display at Skibbereen Heritage Centre, a place whose own history gives this work such powerful meaning. This loan was made possible through the efforts of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Skibbereen Heritage Centre, and the Connecticut-Ireland Trade Commission, and I am grateful to everyone who helped bring it about.

“Our mission is to give this extraordinary collection a permanent home in Connecticut, where it can continue to educate, challenge, and connect communities on both sides of the Atlantic. This exhibition is the first of what we hope will be many collaborations between our communities. Together, we can teach the lessons of this tragic period in Ireland’s and America’s history, including lessons about hunger, migration, displacement, resilience, compassion, and the responsibility we all share to protect human dignity.”

Visit skibbheritage.com for opening hours and more information.