Kitty MacCormack (1892 – 1975) was an Irish designer with the Dun Emer Guild, theatre set designer, actress and author.

Early life and family

Kitty MacCormack (sometimes spelt McCormack) was the daughter of Constance MacCormack, and niece of Evelyn Gleeson. She was born in 1892, and after the death of her father in 1902, the family lived with Gleeson at her home, at Runnemede, Sandyford Road,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

with her mother and siblings, Grace (1898-1982) and Edward (1889-1906). With her sister, McCormack worked in the Dun Emer Guild from a young age, particularly after the Yeats sisters left Dun Emer to form Cuala Industries.

Theatrical work

MacCormack also did some acting, theatre set design and was an author. She appeared in

Joseph Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett ( Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish republican, poet and journalist. As a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, he was one of the seven signatories to the Proclamation of the I ...

's 1912 play ''The Dance of Osiris'' at the Hardwicke Theatre, and designed the sets. She often acted under the name Catia or Caitia Nic Cormac. She also designed sets for the Irish National Theatre Society, Theatre Company of Ireland and the Dublin Drama League.

Career at Dun Emer

Some of her most notable works are the tapestries for the

Honan Chapel The Honan Chapel (, formally Saint Finbarr's Collegiate Chapel and The Honan Hostel Chapel) is a small Catholic church built in the Hiberno-Romanesque revival style on the grounds of University College Cork, Ireland. Designed in 1914, the build ...

, Cork in 1917, the vestments for St Patrick's church, San Francisco in 1923, and a carpet presented to

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

in 1931. The carpet commissioned in an effort by Ireland's ambassador to the Vatican, Charles Bewley, to secure Ireland as the host of the 1932 International Eucharistic Congress. It was designed by MacCormack, took workers in the Guild almost 4 months to hand weave and cost £450. As "The Pope's Carpet" it was exhibited in

Clerys Clerys was a long-established department store on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland, a focal point of the street. The business dates from 1853, however the current building dates from 1922, the original having been completely destroyed in the 1916 ...

from 19 to 30 January 1931. She designed the poster for the 1927 "Grand Pageant of Dublin History". She also developed a set of designs for judicial robes for W. T. Cosgrave in 1924, drawing on the

Brehon Brehon (, ) is a term for a historical arbitration, mediative, and judicial role in Gaelic culture. Brehons were part of the system of Early Irish law, which was also simply called " Brehon law". Brehons were judges, close in importance to the ...

style sketches of which are held in

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

Archives. In 1911 and 1920, she exhibited at the Oireachtas Art Exhibitions, and with the

Water Colour Society of Ireland Water Colour Society of Ireland (WCSI) is a watercolour society in Ireland, founded in 1870. The Society held its first exhibition in the Courthouse, Lismore, County Waterford, Lismore, County Waterford in May 1871. History The ''Water Colour So ...

throughout the 1920s. MacCormack was also an illustrator, beginning with Christmas card designs for Dun Emer in the 1910s. She illustrated John Hackett Pollock's 1919 ''The wisdom of the world: A book of wonder-tales'' published by

Colm Ó Lochlainn Colm Ó Lochlainn (1892 – 26 June 1972) was an Irish printer, typographer, collector of Irish ballads and traditional Irish Uilleann piper. He was notably the author of ''Irish Street Ballads'' published in 1939 and ''More Irish Street Ballad ...

's Candle Press under Pollock's pseudonym An Philibín. MacCormack edited a volume for Ó Lochlainn in 1920, ''The Book of St Ultan; a collection of pictures and poems by Irish artists and writers'', proceeds of which went to St Ultan's Hospital. As well as editing, she contributed illustrations and two poems to the volume. After her aunt's death in 1944, MacCormack continued to run Dun Emer Guild until its store on

Harcourt Street Harcourt Street (Irish: Sráid Fhearchair) is a street located in Dublin City, Ireland. Location It is a little over in length with its northerly start at the south-east corner of St Stephen's Green and terminates in the south at the poi ...

closed around 1964.

Death and legacy

MacCormack died in 26 June 1975. A large collection of theatre ephemera collected by MacCormack was sold in 2008. The Kitty MacCormack Archive is held by the Jackie Clarke Archive, and the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ) is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is "To collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the ...

also holds a collection of her theatre ephemera and letters. A dress designed by MacCormack for Clare Kennedy, the wife of Hugh Kennedy, is on display as part of ''The Way We Wore'' an exhibition in

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

at Collins Barracks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormack, Kitty 1892 births 1975 deaths Arts and Crafts movement artists Irish designers Embroidery designers Textile designers