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More than the majority of his contemporaries – Joseph Malachy Kavanagh was a dedicated painter of the old streets of Dublin and the townlands of North Co. Dublin and Fingal. He painted variously at Raheny, Sutton, Howth, Malahide, Portmarnock and Rush. This painting Children Playing by a Bridge was probably painted at the old bridge over river Santry at Raheny.
Kavanagh’s work is often quite sombre and introspective in mood, but this picture shows him at his most relaxed, with tranquil mood and harmony of colour. It features three children playing at a bend in the river; a small girl in blue dress, pinafore and smart boots who holds a baby in her arms, while a boy crouches down, about to launch a toy yacht on the water. Kavanagh represents the beach with pebbles in the foreground, the tranquil water in which the small bridge and sky are reflected with care. In the background geese grazed on a riverbank, and across the road there is a wall, trees in full leaf, and then roofs of houses. Kavanagh captures well the dreamy stillness of a day in late summer.
Kavanagh was born in Dublin in circa 1856. His family home was in Great Britain Street, (now Parnell Street). He studied variously at the Royal Dublin Society Schools, The Royal Hibernian Academy Schools and the Academie Royale, Antwerp – altogether for eight years. At the RHA Augustus Burke was Professor of Painting and Kavanagh was one of a talented generation of students, including Walter Osborne RHA (1859-1903), Nathaniel Hill RHA (1860-1930), Richard Thomas Moynan RHA (1856-1906), Dermod O’Brien PPRHA (1865-1945), Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940) and Henry Allen (1856-1912).
He painted careful Realist scenes in Antwerp, Brittany and Normandy, and was also a skilled draughtsman and etcher. Amongst his best-known paintings are his pastoral landscapes around Co. Dublin, and his tranquil scenes of Dollymount and Merrion Strand, with cockle pickers and seaweed gatherers at work.
Kavanagh led a life of great dedication and hard work. He had a close professional connection with the RHA: studying there, then exhibiting over two hundred pictures there during the years 1875 to 1918, and was later elected an Associate in 1889 and a full member in 1892. He was a teacher in the Life Schools of the Academy, 1892 to 1911 and appointed Keeper in 1910, and Treasurer in 1911. Children Playing by a Bridge was exhibited at the RHA in 1895. Along with Osborne, O’Brien, Moynan and others he was instrumental in introducing a new spirit of Naturalism into Irish Art.
This artwork will feature in our Important Irish Art auction taking place on Wednesday 27th May.
Viewing times:
Friday 22nd May 10am - 5pm
Saturday 23rd May 2 - 5pm
Sunday 24th May 2 - 5pm
Monday 25th May 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 26th May 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 27th May 10am - 4pm
Julian Campbell, April 2026
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
Georgia Chiesa selects some of her favourite lots in the upcoming Vintage Wine & Spirits Auction
"Beating the bounds is a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval period. At this time, land was divided into parishes and the clergy and church wardens held the responsibility for its upkeep and management. It was up to the Church to ensure that its parishioners knew the local boundary lines and, before maps became commonplace, this had to be kept as a mental record."
Adam’s in conjunction with Suzanne MacDougald are proud to host an online timed auction of artworks to aid the Irish Red Cross’s humanitarian work in delivering vital services to millions of people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. With no buyers premium 100% of the hammer price will go directly to the Irish Red Cross.
Ros Drinkwater writes of Jack B Yeats' 'The Boat' in the Business Post:
With a consolidated result of €320,000,the At Home sale in Stephan’s Green, was a great success.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
