About the artist – George Walsh

George Walsh was born into a family of artisans. His grandfather, for example, was a coach painter, and his father apprenticed under Harry Clarke in Clarke’s studio on Frederick Street. As a young child, George was encouraged to draw from classical paintings and found himself inspired to pursue art as a career. Although he began a stained-glass apprenticeship in Clokley’s Studio in Belfast, in 1957 he travelled to the United States. He completed his apprenticeship there in Conrad Picken’s studio as a painter. After returning to Ireland, he became an accomplished stained-glass artist in his own right. In addition to his commissioned work, he also regularly exhibits individual works.

George worked closely with Alan Tomlin of Irish Stained Glass, who asked him to create the Dublinia windows as a large-scale project. George was given free rein of the Irish Stained Glass studio to design two windows for Dublinia, researching the administration and trades of medieval Dublin as inspiration. After visiting the building to see the space and consider the light, George drafted his proposal for Dublinia, and two designs were selected. St. Michael’s Window and the Civic Window were made and installed for Dublinia’s opening in 1993.

Today, George Walsh works in his home studio in Dublin, where he creates both experimental and traditional stained-glass works. He is excited by the interest in stained-glass art in Ireland that he feels has previously been neglected. There is significant heritage and historical importance in these windows that he hopes will be physically preserved long into the future. In Ireland, George hopes that architects will increasingly incorporate stained-glass windows into more commercial works, in addition to ecclesiastical spaces, to encourage the continuation of the medium.