Home Mass, “Mass in a Connemara Cabin” – Aloysius O'Kelly – Beautiful Catholic Art – Archival Quality

A home Mass in Ireland. Family and friends are gathered. It is cozy. It is also humble. Connemara is in the west of Ireland, one of the most thoroughly Irish places on the island. It could be that they didn’t have a church, or it could be that the British had persecuted the Catholics to the point they had to have Mass secretly, in a hidden place, as sometimes happened before home rule. We noticed the top hat next to the priest, which suggests he wore a disguise, because priests didn't wear top hats.Be that as it may, it looks like a lovely Mass. Home Masses today in the USA are some of the most intimate we have experienced. They have a warm, wholesome, grass roots reverence.The Irish Catholic artist Aloysius O'Kelly (1853-1936) came from an artistic and politically active family. He studied art in Paris, and afterwards lived in Connemara. He eventually moved to the USA. He painted this scene in 1883.** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0