William Harrington

William Harrington (born 1941) is an Irish artist noted for his drawings of Cork city people and streetscapes.

Background Harrington was born in Cork city, growing up in Coppinger's Lane off Shandon Street. His father was a baker/confectioner and his mother a dressmaker who also made saddles and harness. There was TB in the family. Harrington was hospitalised with it as a toddler and his father died of it when William was four and his brother, George, seven. He attended St. Joseph's School on the Mardyke. He was constantly drawing from childhood and although he wanted to follow his brother, George, into the bakery/confectionery business, his mother insisted he go to art school.

He held a joint exhibition with Seamus Murphy in 1967. He had several one man and group shows and in 1988 a retrospective of his work, Cork Seen: Exhibition of Drawings, 1960-1987 was held at the Cork Arts Society gallery and travelled on to the Paul VI Institute for the Arts, Washington D.C. and Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco.