Wolf's Arch, Kilkenny City, Co. Kilkenny

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Where: Kilkenny, Ireland

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When: Unknown

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From the childish charm of Monday to the rustic history of Tuesday!

This building in Kilkenny is a very distinctive, and captured in a particularly fine image, with good detail of the arch and adjacent buildings. It looks like early in the day to me, but there are no dogs in evidence and as the old motto goes "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun"!

Thanks to fantastic inputs on this image (including from B-59, Niall McAuley, beachcomberaustralia, O Mac, and guliolopez), we learned a lot more about the subject and date. It is confirmed that this is Rothe House, a late-16th century townhouse in Kilkenny's medieval centre. Built by the merchant Rothe family, there's strong evidence that it was captured in this Lawrence/French image early in the catalogue range - probably the 1860s. The strongest evidence of this (apart from the dress and marvelous mutton-chops of the chaps standing unironically outside the barbers) is the poster beside the arch. The poster advertises a "lecture" in "Electro-Biology and Phrenology" - both common to a branch of practiced "sciences" which were fashionable in the 1850s and 1860s. As part-alternative medicine and part-entertainment...


Photographer: Robert French

Collection: Lawrence Photograph Collection

Date: Catalogue range c.1865-1914. Likely c.1860s

NLI Ref: L_CAB_00982

You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie

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Owner: National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 20953
robertfrench williamlawrence lawrencecollection lawrencephotographicstudio glassnegative nationallibraryofireland wolfsarch kilkennycity ireland kilkenny rothehouse rothe electrobiology phrenology poster townhouse johnrothefitzpiers johnrothe 1860s hairdresser barber barberspole delany coalmarket marygorman registeredlodginghouse electropsychomachy lawrencephotographcollection

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  • profile

    B-59

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:03:43

    Streetview: goo.gl/maps/TncdK6jHdet

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    B-59

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:19:06

    "Rothe House, is a unique Irish 16th century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconstructed garden with orchard." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothe_House

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    B-59

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:21:20

    S. also www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&...

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:22:21

    a.k.a the Rothe House from 1600, here at the NIAH

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:25:23

    Ooh, what a cool poster! LECTRO-BIOLOGY PHRENOLOGY

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:27:51

    The NIAH says the building was restored in 1898 to accommodate use as a Gaelic League house. Is this before that, given the Barber, and Lodging house in situ?

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:29:07

    Lectro-biology was apparently a form of hypnotism. mentioned in the 1877 G&S The Sorceror.

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    BeachcomberAustralia

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:37:10

    Well before 1898 restoration - see the first floor windows, arcading, and lack of Oriel window.

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:38:55

    No Gordon, Delany, Brophy on Parliament St. in 1901 census.

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    BeachcomberAustralia

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:40:57

    + Porsche ! In 2013 via https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/9800766865/

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:44:02

    The mutton chop whiskers suggest the earlier part of the date range...

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    O Mac

    • 21/Feb/2017 09:51:03

    Electro-biology

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    BeachcomberAustralia

    • 21/Feb/2017 10:25:22

    Via Trove "electro-biology" seems to have been trendy in the 1850s and 1860s. eg - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/663600?searchTerm=elec...

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    BeachcomberAustralia

    • 21/Feb/2017 10:46:37

    Here we go .... the fascinating story of "Count Borromeo", lectures on electro-biology and his connection with Kilkenny - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110099392?searchTerm=e... (1865)

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 10:57:55

    I think the poster says something like PROFESSOR MORRISONS

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    Niall McAuley

    • 21/Feb/2017 11:15:23

    Borissov?

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    O Mac

    • 21/Feb/2017 17:53:28

    Or PROFESSOR ROBINSONS...... The writing on ladder bracket on the lamp post says COAL MARKET

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    BeachcomberAustralia

    • 21/Feb/2017 21:21:55

    Wondering if 'Robinson' is yet another alias for Count Borromeo?! He was a character and a half. What about "Mary Gorma(?). Registerd. Lodging House and Emporium(?)" standing in her doorway ? Voting for early 1860s.

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    silverio10

    • 21/Feb/2017 22:21:50

    Buena serie de fotos antiguas .

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    guliolopez

    • 22/Feb/2017 00:27:41

    I had a look in the Irish newspaper archives this evening, and couldn't find any Professors Morrison or Robinson or similar. The most referenced "professor" was G. W. Stone. Who seemed to be local (or at least plied his form of entertainments around the country to the 1860s - appearing in the papers more than once, and not just in advertisements - as below). A "professor" Barnett seemingly also visited Belfast in the 1850s. Example extracts below. I don't see much mention of the practice after the 1860s, so (unless Kilkenny was behind the fashion), I agree with the lads that we're almost certainly in the 1860s here.

    "Mr. Barnett from America Professor or Mesmerism, Phrenology, Electro-biology, &c, &c respectfully announces to the inhabitants of Belfast and its vicinity that he will deliver a course of six lectures on this mysterious and interesting subject in the Assembly Rooms, Commercial Buildings, commencing on Monday the 20th January 1851, and continuing every evening during the week." - Belfast Newsletter, Fri 17 Jan 1851 "Actions for Alleged Libel- It is stated that an action for libel is to be brought by Dr. Stone, professor of phrenology and electro-biology, against a magistrate of Limerick city, who, on Saturday night, stood up in the theatre, pronounced his science a humbug, and accused him of hiring parlies to operate upon, in order to deceive the public. The scene in the theatre opon the occasion was most ludicrous. - Cork Examiner, Wed 20 Jun 1860

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    guliolopez

    • 22/Feb/2017 00:41:14

    Addendum. I still can't find a Robinson. Or a Borissov. But there's a Professor Morrison advertising in the Freeman's Journal in 1851. (If Electro-Biology sounded like so much snakeoil, how about some "Electro-Psychomachy" &c &c)

    "A CLAIRVOYANT IN DUBLIN!! MEDICAL MESMERISM Invalids desirous to know the exact locality, nature, and extent of their disease, and wishing to be treated according to the sure and unfailing prescriptions of a person in the Clairvoyant state, either Medically or Magnetically, or both, may consult Professor MORRISON personally, or by letter, from 10 to 12 o'Clock daily, at No. 1, HARCOURT-ROAD, facing Charlemont-street. In all cases of Epilepsy, or Falling Sickness, immediate relief is given, and a perfect cure guaranteed !! Professor Morrison gives Lectures in Phrenology, Electro-Biology, Electro-Psychology, Electro-Psychomachy and other Correllative branches of Mesmeric Science, to Families, Colleges, Seminaries, Institutes, Associations, &c. &c, on moderate terms." - Freemans Journal, Sat 27 Nov 1852

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    National Library of Ireland on The Commons

    • 22/Feb/2017 00:59:36

    Excellent stuff. Thanks all!! I've updated the map. And, unless there are further inputs overnight of tomorrow, I'll update the description and date to reflect today's inputs. (As an aside, and while perhaps I shouldn't be surprised any more, it genuinely does intruige me, nearly every time, to see where these discussions take us :) Between "Mary Gorman's Registered Lodging House and Eatery(?)" (with the ghost or perhaps Ms Gorman in the doorway) and "Dunne's Hairdresser and Barber" (with the ghost of an apron-wearing Mr Dunne under his barber pole), today's discussion could have taken us any which way. I had not expected to find ourselves courting libel in a Victorian court by decrying the 1860s equivalent of Keith Barry from the cheap seats!! :) )

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    guliolopez

    • 22/Feb/2017 01:05:10

    Speaking of Dunne's barbers, do we think Mr. Mutton-Chops had his trimmed there? They look a little unruly. Hopefully he wasn't so distracted by the photographer that he missed his appointment.

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    BlueisCoool

    • 04/Mar/2017 17:13:47

    A wonderful looking photograph.

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    Joe Cashin Photography(Thanks for 11 Million views

    • 20/Jun/2018 10:47:16

    Thanks for adding your interesting pictures to the Kilkenny Group.

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    National Library of Ireland on The Commons

    • 20/Jun/2018 22:14:54

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/joecashin Very welcome!