What is precious to you, for one reason or another? What object would you never want to lose? Our treasured possessions are often an expression, sometimes an extension, of our very selves. AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity, has been working on a series of stories of famous people and their special possessions. From Colin Farrell to Sebastian Barry to Rachael Blackmore, (and many more) everyone AsIAm invited to participate entered into the project with gusto, and THE GLOSS is proud to partner with AsIAm and bring you a story a month …
Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin in 1955. He was nominated five times for the Booker Prize, and won the Costa Book of the Year twice, and also the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, among many others. He recently won The Pleasure of Reading prize, and is shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. He was Laureate for Irish Fiction, 2018-2021. Sebastian lives in County Wicklow with his wife Alison, not too many miles from Kelsha.
The Red Hen
“I made this painting when I was five or six in Hampstead, quite soon after my family left Ireland in 1960 so my father could work in London. It’s a touch miraculous that it survives. It’s in a scrap frame roughly painted black with a cardboard backing from an old board game (Canadian Mounted Police!) stiffening the paper. It used to have a tin plate at the bottom with Sebastian stamped on it, made for a penny by a machine in a train station, but it must have fallen off.
I was in mourning for my great-aunt Annie’s tiny farm in Kelsha, County Wicklow, and this is her favourite hen. She was a great connoisseur of hens. I used to be sent to find their eggs and considered myself something of a Sherlock Holmes in this regard. All the impoverished painters of that time in Hampstead thought the painting showed great promise – so my mother said. It does seem confident at least, and is another source of proof that children universally have interesting natural abilities. It’s the bashed ancient look of it I like, and the memory of my great-aunt attached to it, and indeed of my mother, who put a pencil in my hand when I was about two and said, ‘Now, write or draw with that.’ As I couldn’t read or write till I was at least eight or nine, I drew and painted, obedient to her instruction.”
AsIAm, founded by Adam Harris in 2014, has a vision for Ireland as a place where every Autistic person is accepted “as they are” – equal, valued and respected. AsIAm provides community support through advice, advocacy, support and special interest groups for children and adults with autism. AsIAm provides training programmes in autism awareness and inclusion, and supports businesses to successfully recruit and employ autistic candidates. The charity operates an information line (0818 234 234) and provides support via instant messaging and email (support@asIam.ie).
To find out more: www.asiam.ie
To donate: www.asiam.ie/support-our-work/donate/