An Túr Gloine

An Túr Gloine, Irish for “The Glass Tower,” was a cooperative studio for stained glass and opus sectile founded in Dublin in January 1903. It became one of the central institutions of the Irish Arts and Crafts movement and played a major role in the development of a distinctive Irish school of ecclesiastical glass during the first half of the twentieth century. The studio was conceived in late 1901 and was established at 24 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin, on land that had previously contained two tennis courts. Its creation arose from a desire to develop an Irish alternative to the stained glass being imported from England and Germany for churches and other architectural projects. The immediate impetus was connected with the construction of the Roman Catholic cathedral at Loughrea, County Galway, later known as St Brendan’s Cathedral. Edward Martyn, Sarah Purser, and their associates sought to ensure that the building could be furnished with work made by artists and craftspeople working in Ireland. Sarah Purser was the project’s principal organiser and remained closely associated with it throughout its first decades. Her knowledge of medieval French and English glass, together with her social connections and administrative ability, helped the cooperative secure commissions and establish a viable training and production environment. The studio was not simply a commercial manufacturer. It functioned simultaneously as a school, design workshop, and production facility in which artists could participate in the conception, painting, cutting, and assembly of windows. An Túr Gloine was associated with a broad group of important Irish artists, including Michael Healy, Evie Hone, Beatrice Elvery, Wilhelmina Geddes, Catherine O’Brien, and Kathleen Quigly. Their work drew on biblical narratives, saints’ lives, Christian symbolism, Irish cultural revivalism, Celtic manuscript illumination, and the decorative principles of the Arts and Crafts movement. Although the studio’s commissions were often religious, its output was artistically diverse, with individual makers developing strongly personal approaches to drawing, colour, composition, and figure style. The studio contributed to Ireland’s emergence as an internationally recognised centre of stained-glass art. Its importance rested both on its completed windows and on its institutional model: it offered instruction in the full process of stained-glass production while giving artists more creative responsibility than a conventional factory system. This integration of art education and skilled manufacture helped make stained glass a significant part of modern Irish cultural production. Purser directed An Túr Gloine until 1940. Catherine O’Brien then succeeded her as manager and continued to run the studio until 1944. After that point, O’Brien purchased the studio, while a substantial part of the premises was leased to Patrick Pollen. An Túr Gloine therefore ceased to operate as the cooperative institution established in 1903, although its associated artists, surviving windows, and influence continued to shape the history of Irish decorative art. Its works remain in churches, chapels, public buildings, museums, and heritage collections.

An Túr Gloine was conceived in late 1901 and formally established in January 1903 at 24 Upper Pembroke Street in Dublin. The premises stood on the site of two former tennis courts and became the base for a cooperative devoted to stained glass and opus sectile. Its creation was part of a wider Irish cultural revival and the international Arts and Crafts movement, both of which encouraged a closer relationship between artistic design and traditional craft production. The project was particularly connected with the proposed Roman Catholic cathedral at Loughrea in County Galway, later identified as St Brendan’s Cathedral. Edward Martyn and Sarah Purser wanted Irish churches and architectural projects to have access to work designed and made in Ireland rather than relying primarily on commercially imported glass from England and Germany. Purser’s familiarity with medieval French and English stained glass, her cultural contacts, and her organisational ability were central to transforming this ambition into a functioning studio. An Túr Gloine occupied an unusual position between school, cooperative, and workshop. It provided instruction in the stages required to produce stained glass, including design, preparation, painting, cutting, and leading. At the same time, it allowed artists to exercise substantial control over the visual conception of individual windows. This arrangement distinguished the studio from a purely industrial manufacturer and encouraged the development of a recognisably Irish body of work. The studio’s artists included Michael Healy, Evie Hone, Beatrice Elvery, Wilhelmina Geddes, Catherine O’Brien, and Kathleen Quigly, as well as Sarah Purser herself. Their approaches were not uniform. Some works emphasised strongly drawn and expressive figures; others used dense ornament, symbolic arrangements, or luminous fields of colour. Religious subjects were common because churches and chapels supplied many of the commissions, but the work also reflected Irish revivalist interests and the visual legacy of Celtic manuscript illumination. The combination of modern artistic individuality with historical and local references helped make Irish stained glass distinctive. The studio attracted favourable attention as an example of the renewed effort to foster Irish artistic production. Contemporary commentary described it as both a craft school and a factory, stressing its potential educational and economic value as well as the beauty of its output. Its influence extended beyond individual windows: it helped establish stained glass as a serious modern art in Ireland and contributed to the country’s international reputation in the field. The studio was also involved in debates about taste, modernity, and religious patronage. A commission connected with a Galway convent became the subject of criticism by W. B. Yeats in the magazine Samhain. Yeats objected that a design associated with Purser’s studio had been rejected because its faces and gestures appeared too individual or emotionally vivid, while a more conventional German image was accepted instead. The episode illustrates the resistance that artist-led religious art could encounter from conservative commissioners. Sarah Purser directed An Túr Gloine until 1940. Catherine O’Brien then took over its management and continued until 1944. O’Brien subsequently purchased the studio, and part of the premises was leased to Patrick Pollen. The original cooperative therefore ended after four decades, but the artistic legacy of An Túr Gloine continued through surviving windows, the careers of its associated artists, and the preservation of its work in ecclesiastical, public, museum, and heritage settings.

• 1944

  Cooperative period concludes

  [1]An Túr Gloineen.wikipedia.org

  O’Brien bought the studio after managing it for four years, while a large portion of the premises was leased to Patrick Pollen.

• 1940

  Catherine O'Brien assumes management

  [1]An Túr Gloineen.wikipedia.org

  Catherine O’Brien succeeded Sarah Purser as the studio’s manager.

• 1903

  An Túr Gloine opens in Dublin

  [1]An Túr Gloineen.wikipedia.org

  The cooperative began operating at 24 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin, with the aim of training artists and producing Irish-designed stained glass for churches and architectural projects.

• 1901

  Studio concept developed

  [1]An Túr Gloineen.wikipedia.org

  The idea for an Irish cooperative studio devoted to stained glass and related architectural art was developed in the context of the Irish cultural revival and plans for major church commissions.

An Irish Arts and Crafts cooperative combining artistic training, independent design, and skilled stained-glass production, with a particular emphasis on church and architectural commissions.

• Architectural glass · 1903

  Stained-glass windows

  The studio’s principal output consisted of artist-designed stained-glass windows for churches, chapels, cathedrals, and other buildings. Windows commonly depicted biblical narratives, saints, Christian symbols, and allegorical subjects. Their visual language varied by artist but often combined strong drawing, vivid colour, expressive figures, and decorative patterning. The work was developed through an integrated process in which design, painting, glass selection, cutting, and lead assembly were treated as parts of a unified artistic commission.

• Architectural mosaic and glasswork · 1903

  Opus sectile

  An Túr Gloine was also associated with opus sectile, an architectural technique using shaped pieces of coloured material assembled into figurative or decorative compositions. This broadened the studio’s practice beyond conventional leaded stained glass and connected its work with the wider Arts and Crafts interest in integrated architectural decoration.

• 1944

  Transfer of the studio after the cooperative periodM&A

  Background

  After Catherine O’Brien had managed An Túr Gloine since 1940, the original cooperative structure reached the end of its active period.

  Action taken

  O’Brien purchased the studio, and a substantial part of the premises was leased to Patrick Pollen.

  Aftermath

  An Túr Gloine ceased to operate in its original cooperative form, although its artists and surviving works retained lasting influence.

  Source

• 1903

  Create an Irish alternative to imported ecclesiastical glassStrategy

  Background

  Irish churches and architectural projects frequently depended on commercially imported stained glass, particularly from England and Germany. Sarah Purser, Edward Martyn, and their associates sought to build local artistic and production capacity.

  Action taken

  They established a cooperative studio that combined artist training with the design and manufacture of stained glass and related architectural work in Dublin.

  Aftermath

  The studio helped develop a recognised Irish school of stained glass and contributed to Ireland’s international reputation in the medium.

  Source

1. 1An Túr Gloineen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Honan Chapel: A Golden Visioncorkuniversitypress.com