The grave of Matt Talbot in Glasnevin Cemetery, with high cross gravestone and petitions box. Following so soon after our photo of Father Matthew, the prince of total abstinence, we have Matt Talbot, a man who struggled with alcohol. What more can you tell us about Matt and this photo?
Our contributors tell us that petitions for the beatification of
Matt Talbot (1856–1925) were initiated soon after his death, and so the 'petitions' box might date the photo to the late 1920s or early 1930s. His remains were reinterred (twice), and his grave and gravestone are no longer at Glasnevin, but at
Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Seán MacDermott Street....
Photographers:
Eason & Son
Collection:
Irish Political Figures Photographic Collection
Date: Catalogue range c.1920-1930. Definitely after 1925 (death/grave). Perhaps after 1928 (box).
NLI Ref:
NPA PERS76
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at
catalogue.nli.ie
Info:
Owner:
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source:
Flickr Commons
Views: 18481
Carol Maddock
From the Irish Press, 12 June 1933...
DannyM8
Is he still in Glasnevin or were his remains moved to an inner city church near Croke Park?
sharon.corbet
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]] Looks like he's had three resting places: He was originally buried in a poorer part of Glasnevin Cemetery before being moved to the vault where Fr.Gentili was buried. The coffin was moved in 1972 and the remains now rest in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean MacDermott St., Dublin.
AGodenot
so...is he a saint?
Carol Maddock
https://www.flickr.com/photos/patriciastanich I think he's a 'Blessed'. Good to see Flickr back up – I've been getting Bad Panda all day!
sharon.corbet
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/patriciastanich] [https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]] He's a Venerable (Step 2 of the Canonisation process).
sharon.corbet
His wikipedia page for anyone interested. I would assume that the photo dates from sometime after his death in June 1925.
Carol Maddock
https://www.flickr.com/photos/scorbet I never know there was such a thing as a Venerable!
AGodenot
I love this Flickr group. Everything is so interesting
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
What is the idea of the "PETITIONS" box ? suffering from Bad Panda-itis too Ed. Oh I see from https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]'s post above - "...The petitions will be taken out and sent to the diocesan court, which is collecting the evidence for the introduction in Rome of the Cause of this Servant of God."
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Btw there is a Matthew Talbot Hostel in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, which has been doing great work since 1938 - www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/the-matthew-talbot-hoste...
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
In 1928 "a small wooden box has been placed above the tomb" - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118058276?searchTerm=t... . This photo shows a large metal box, so after 1928 ? "The only picture of Matt Talbot ... " - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/174621621?searchTerm=t...
oaktree_brian_1976
mateusztalbot.pl/talbot/index.html an Irish ascetic that has a website apparently
oaktree_brian_1976
I didn't know what an ascetic was. "One who lives a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures", this is after the alcoholism one assumes...
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
That article/snippet on the "only picture of Matt Talbot" is interesting https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia. Not least as the Wikipedia article has a photo. So presumably some images came to light some time after that was published in 1932... I've mapped the photo to the "poor part" of Glasnevin Cemetery, and updated the tags and description with a few notes from the comments. Thanks all! (Except you Bad Panda. Bad Bad Panda. No bamboo for you.)
Niall McAuley
Just 12 years after his death as an unknown he was being commemorated in church window stained glass. This is in Athlone, by Richard King at Harry Clarke Studios, 1937:
Inverarra
Can faintly remember Brendan Behan claiming that his uncle got the job of making a bed that Matt slept in, for the Eucharistic Congress in 1932. He decided to use old railway sleepers and made a fine job of the supposedly genuine relic. Then the people who visited started to use their penknives to cut strips off the old sleepers. You couldn’t make it up but on second thoughts, Brendan probably could.