GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE WALLPAINTINGS

After the conservation, of 1990 - 2000, the paintings in the Abbey are as present. The whole interior of the chancel is covered with plaster that has the remains of the medieval paintings. The conservation has stabilized the wallpainting's condition. The remains of the images are more visible and their beauty is more appreciable. The two main phases of the construction of the Abbey are also connected with the two periods of the paintings. When examined closely these phases of paintings are easily identified.
List of the images of the first period of paintings	List of the images of the second period of paintings

General presentation of the medieval technique used in the abbey

The painting technique employed at the Abbey on Clare Island is often wrongly classified as “frescos”. However, this is a misunderstanding as the paintings were applied on the dry (or mostly dry) plaster and possibly onto a fresh lime-wash layer.

The main drawing were first mapped out by incised lines like a simple sketch. Following  this prepared “draft”, the colours were applied using different kinds of paint-brushes.

Nowadays, the very thin paint-layer reveals mainly three colours, black, red and yellow and possibly accompanied with another undefined colour.

The campus team working on the wallpaintings project : Zuzana Bauerova (Slovakia), Maia Cuin (France) and Liz Thomas (Ireland).

Acknowledgments: these pages are based on the work of Christoph Oldenbourg and Madeleine Katkov. Special thanks to Barbara Schick.