A love story that deserves legendary status

LOVERS Artist aims to bring the story of Orwin and Sebana to national attention

A Castlerahan artist believes the legend of Orwin and Sebana deserves to be as famous and as cherished as the other staples of Irish folklore. To that end Kim Gaffney has dusted down a poetic retelling of the tale and created her own series of artworks and illustrated book.

The spark for the project came at the start of this year when Kim was undertaking a three month residency in the Townhall Theatre Cavan. She had planned to paint a whole series of landscapes featuring the lakes of Cavan. Close to home, Lough Sheelin seemed like a good starting point and she began at the shore of Crover House Hotel, where we met to discuss her work. Smitten she found she couldn’t leave it, and the old yarn of Orwin and Sebana that's so intrinsically woven into the landmarks of Lough Sheelin surfaced in her mind.

“Growing up in Mountnugent I would have heard about Orwin and Sebana but it would always be little snippets of it, it was never a story where you knew exactly what happened.

“I've honestly had the best year - I've almost felt a bit of a Miss Marple more than an artist,” she jokes.

Digging into the tale wasn't that straight forward as there are lots of competing versions passed down orally.

“I wanted to find out what the 'truest version of the legend is and and I want to bring it back to life through my paintings.”

Her search for a definitive version brought her to the door of local historian Joe Moynagh from Tonagh, near Mountnugent. She happened across the right man and Joe was able to point her towards a complete version penned by local poet Phil O’Connell in the 1800s.

“It's a gorgeous poem written in the 1800s, so it’s about 200 years after the story. That’s the nearest to the timing, and in a written form that I have found.”

Kim sketches out the bones of the story, that’s set around the 1650s when Ireland was in rebellion, and Cromwellian troops were on a bloody march to swiftly suppress rebellion so they could return their attentions to the English Civil War.

Amongst the Irish rebels was the head of the O’Reilly clan, Orwin. Given that Sebana is a Nugent, a family depicted as Royalists, their forbidden love seemed doomed from the start.

“The Black Baron was her father, he was supposed to have been a fierce man who owned Ross Castle.

“Orwin was wounded in battle and was hiding out in his family’s ruins of a castle - Crover Castle on Crover Island. He was playing his harp and Sebana was on her boat.

“Supposedly she rowed her boat over to Crover Island where she heard the harp music, met him and they gradually fell in love. But they had to keep their union a secret because he was hiding.

“However Sebana caught a fever and was locked up in her tower for a couple of weeks recovering. He thought she had abandoned him and he died, probably of his wounds and a broken heart. She comes back to find him dead, and his ghost asks her to bury him on the land around Ross Castle so she can see him from her window.”

Sebana didn’t have to spend too long pining from the window however.

“She died of a broken heart shortly afterwards supposedly and they are meant to haunt Lough Sheelin according to the poem - it’s a fabulous story, and the poem is gorgeous.”

The tragic couple are reputed to rest in a grave close to Ross Castle where Joe has erected a plaque to Orwin and Sebana.

From having only a fragmentary idea of the story, the romance started to feel more solid for Kim - particularly with landmarks that exist, Ross Castle and the burial spot.

What of Crover Castle? I confess to Kim I’d never heard of it.

“Nobody knows about Crover Castle,” she assures of the ruin on a privately owned island which she got permission to visit.

“I’ve been on the island twice - it is a-maz-ing! I have a massive painting of the ruins. The ruins date from 1393 and were built by Thomas McMahon O’Reilly when the O’Reillys ruled.

“That castle was actually cannonballed by Cromwell. He destroyed half of it, but the ruins that are left are solid - I walked up the steps - they are still standing.

“There’s a gorgeous feeling about the castle, it’s amazing. You can feel he was hiding in there, you can imagine them both on the island - it’s just amazing - goosepimple stuff!”

Kim has begun to wonder if this tale has a ring of truth to it.

“Is it myth or a legend? That is the question. The places exist, the story is very strong, there was a poem written about it, I’d say there’s some truth somewhere. There are aspects of it that seem quite true.”

The artworks Kim has brought along include two portraits in oil, and a landscape where she has employed a technique called ‘encaustic’ art. Using melted beeswax and pigments the effect is truly absorbing, and is the Celt’s favourite of the fine selection. It’s all the more impressive since the mother of three only came to art late in life. Her other career is working as part of the community palliative care team in Meath, providing end of life care.

Although she was leaving her comfort zone to paint the portraits, of the lovers, she deemed it was essential to the project.

“They were very hard to paint to be honest,” she laughingly confesses.

“They both look a bit depressed and tragic, and coming out of the dark, but that’s the line of their fate unfortunately.”

Asked of her hopes for the project, Kim is eager to help revive the story from its near obscurity.

“I’d love it to be known as a legend, like Diarmuid and Gráinne and the Children of Lír and that Lough Sheelin is put on the map with it because I think it is really special. I think that the message of the two opposite sides and love conquering all.

“Plus it transcends time - the poem talks about the wine and cheer, and harp music and candlelight, and walks along the shore - those things still happen when people fall in love, so I think it is a story for now, as well as back then.”

She’s making a good stab at spreading the story, as she will feature in an up coming episode of Nationwide and has enlisted Michael Harding to write a forward book.

She excitedly notes the story could easily be turned into a stage drama, a musical, even a movie and notes its potential boon for local tourism with boat trips and tours.

“I feel that I’m just a little channel to get it out there, but it’s much bigger than me and my art,” says Kim.

The official launch of the ‘Orwin and Sebana’ art book, funded by Creative Cavan, will take place on Thursday, October 5, at 7pm at Crover House Hotel. A full exhibition of the original artworks will subsequently be launched in the Ramor Theatre, Virginia on Friday, October 13, again at 7pm and will stay on display until Friday, December 15.