Henry O'Neill

Henry O'Neill (1798–21 December 1880) was an Irish artist and antiquarian.

Early life and education Henry O'Neill in Clonmel, County Tipperary or Dundalk, County Louth, in 1798. His mother was possibly the daughter of Samuel Watson, a bookseller and publisher. Both his parents died when O'Neill was a child, and was raised by his paternal aunt, Sara O'Neill. She a haberdasher at 60 South Great George's Street, Dublin, who provided him a good education. From a young age, O'Neill demonstrated a talent for drawing, he enrolled as a pupil in the Dublin Society's Schools in 1815.

Career

O'Neill was a diligent student, winning first premiums in every class he competed. As a pupil, he helped his aunt with designs for shawls and lace, and was employed by a print-seller on Dame Street, Allen. He worked in Dublin as a drawing teacher. He was presented with a silver medal "as a reward for his industry and talents" by the Dublin Society in 1825. He had a disagreement with his aunt over money, and was then supported by maternal relatives. By 1841, he was working briefly in the Library of Trinity College. From 1835 to 1879, he exhibited with the Royal Hibernian Academy. He was not offered membership of the Academy in 1843 when there was a vacancy, and resigned.

Some of his drawings were published in the 1835 Picturesque Sketches of some of the finest Landscapes and Coast Scenery of Ireland by George Petrie and Andrew Nicholl and Fourteen Views in the county of Wicklow, from original drawings by Henry O'Neill and Andrew Nicholl by William Frederick Wakeman. Despite this, O'Neill struggled and moved to London in 1847 where he was unable to find work. He enlisted in the army, but was bought out by friends and returned to Dublin. on 21 December 1880 at 109 Gardiner Street. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Selected works

Oil portrait of John Cornelius O'Callaghan (1874) held in the National Gallery of Ireland The Return of O'Rourke (1846), later owned by Daniel O'Connell A drawing of Bartholomew Lloyd as Provost of Trinity College, later engraved in mezzotint by C. Turner in 1838 Pencil portrait of Zozimus from the John Joly collection in the National Library of Ireland