OUR LADY OF THE DOME

Star-crowned, the crescent hung below thy feet,
In stormy dark I have beheld thy light
Far shining. Then I dreaded not the sight
Of haunting shapes that men in darkness meet.
Nor yet less glad thy lighted Dome I greet
When God has flung his jewels o’er the night,
When ‘neath the young moon, throned in purple height,
The June fields, wet with dew, are clover sweet.

O thou, fair Lady, brighter than all thy stars,
Out of thy radiance make my life less dark!
I do not ask thee morn with rose-red bars
Adown the east; nor dews, nor singing lark.
No, only night, and vigil, storm and stress,
With thee in thy dear heaven to light and bless!

-Rev. Patrick J. Carroll, C.S.C.
in Songs of Creelabeg (1916)

This beautiful sonnet was written by Rev. P. J. Carroll, my grandfather Mike’s first cousin; both born and raised near Cappagh, County Limerick. Patrick Joseph Carroll emigrated to America in 1891 at age sixteen to study for the priesthood at Notre Dame University. Ordained in 1900, he quickly rose to prominence as a professor and administrator, but was best known for his writing. Songs of Creelabeg established his reputation as a poet, along with his Irish stories which appeared in the Ave Maria Magazine, later to be published as Round About Home. Father Pat taught English, poetry and Irish history at Notre Dame for over thirty years and was Editor in Chief of the Ave Maria Press. A powerful speaker and homilist, he remained a respected voice in the field of Catholic education for decades. Elected to the office of Vice President of Notre Dame in 1926, he served the following year as acting President. In 1930, his childhood memoir Patch: Memories of An Irish Lad  became a bestseller; the “Patch” series eventually extending to five of his fourteen published books. “No one writes better Irish English than Fr. Carroll,” one reviewer noted. As Editor, he oversaw the planning and construction of a new building for the Ave Maria Press in the 1940s, and continued to write novels and articles well into retirement. Father Pat passed away at age 84 in 1959, one of the last Holy Cross priests from Notre Dame’s golden era, and among its most renowned authors.

OUR LADY OF THE DOME is my tribute to Father Carroll and his legacy. A fervent Irish Nationalist and devout Catholic, he had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary as a sign of eternal love and hope for the downtrodden of the world. She is depicted here enshrined and triumphant over the night, a radiant star illuminating the path out of darkness, in keeping with Father Pat’s reference to the famous Golden Dome of Notre Dame University. This artwork is an original design done with powdered pigments and egg tempera on calfskin vellum, using the tools and techniques of the 8th century Irish scribe. Insular Celtic motifs such as knotwork, spirals and key pattern fill the internal panels of its Gothic arch, merging 1920s Art Deco with the Book of Kells. The palette of primary colors is closer to the Lindisfarne Gospels, with emphasis on Notre Dame’s traditional blue and gold.

The idea of an illuminated Marian poem by Father Carroll was suggested to me by Anita Hawkes-Lyons, historian from his home village in West Limerick. The artwork is lovingly dedicated to her mother, Nora Hawkes, a lifelong educator, in this her 100th year. It comes with best wishes to her family and to all the good people of Cappagh.

OUR LADY OF THE DOME is now available as a giclee fine art print, reproduced at actual size in a limited edition of 300. It is printed on acid-free watercolor paper using archival lightfast inks rated to last over 90 years. Each print has been inspected, hand numbered and signed by the artist, and is accompanied by a description and certificate of authenticity.