  Letterhead
Meets are Letterhead Meets! Whosoever believeth in this has not been to
Ireland...While the "hands on" projects were few, the talent was
brim full and running over.The friendship and congeniality was above and
beyond the call, and the beer? My god ...I've never seen so much beer,
Guinness or Murphy's actually, or for us light weights, the Ciders were a
welcome change from American brews.
Being somewhat simple minded,
we, (Monte and Pat Jumper) were a day late getting in as started our
adventure by boarding an AMTRAK train from Norman, Oklahoma to Dallas
Texas (spending the night with Bill "Wetpainter" and Rhonda
"SignCritic" Piper and family ) then flying into London and
traveling by train  
across England into Swansea Wales, then a Ferry crossing to Ireland. We
arrived in Ireland at sunrise and were entering Cork Harbor when the sun
hit the emerald green coast line, a site I will never forget. 
What a dramatic intro! After making our way
into Cork on a bus, the morning of the third. We were picked up in town by
Gerry Fitzgibbon and Noel Mckenna and transported to the Letterhead meet
venue, (FAS Tech School). As we 
walked into the entry hall and saw the quality of the signs hanging
(everywhere) I was sure we had walked in to the Irish Sign Painters Hall
of Fame. Such quality and quantity I've never seen. Imagine the surprise
when we were told, nearly all the work we were looking at was created by
students with little more than 6 months experience at their craft.
Everyone that was there from America was, to say the least "blown
away". As you'll see from the pictures it was truly a "Spell
with the Wizards".
As it turned out the first day (starting at
noon) was dedicated to getting acquainted and retrieving our own Cam Bortz
(the little Lebanese meat Inspector) from a meat packing venue known only
to him. (and this was before the beer.)
We received the warmest of greetings as we
arrived at the venue, everyone was as excited to meet us as we were them.
I'm not sure what it was I expected but I can tell you, reality was way
beyond any expectations we might have had. Pat and I spent the first
couple of hours     
with our mouths open, just walking thru the venue examining each work we
encountered.
The "Letterhead venue" portion of
the school has 2 long lofted hallways with small booths to each side, each
booth (aprox.6'x10') is designated to one student, the booth is 3 sided
and contains one "mock" window and one "mock" door,
during their course each student re fini shes
"his/her" booth with various wall papers, paints, wood grains
and faux marbles along with all they learn about Lettering and sign
painting, a really well rounded craftsman/woman is turned out in six
months time. I can assure you they all come out of this course at a level
I wouldn't look for in an American counterpart in less than 5 years. This
is truly a program that needs to be examined and replicated in other
venues, its obvious success is undeniable.
 The
Lettering and Signs portion of this school are taught by the "Head
Wizard" Gerry Fitzgibbon ...friendship and patience are dripping from
this man and you spend most of your time wanting to be in the puddle he
provides, but you'll have to move fast, he's a veritable dynamo with a
rapier wit, yet modest personality combined with the the kind of mysticism
that only those born to Ireland possess. You can tell everyone there loves
this man.
 Noel
McKenna also teaches the same students, he is an astonishingly talented
man that makes wood graining look like child's play. The effects he
achieves literally can't be discerned from the real thing. Not as
gregarious as Gerry he nevertheless can mesmerize you as he pulls you into
one of his classes. Don't even think you will stump this man, he has an
answer for every question and a solution to every problem. The respect
everyone shows and feels for this man is undeniable.
 Len
DeLaCour...What can you say about this guy? Obviously Gerry's right hand
man, yet you can tell he's a man of his own. He fills in for Gerry when he
needs to be elsewhere and the program never misses a beat. There is a deep
talent pool here and it has been passed on to his daughter Jesse, her
portfolio looked like something found in the finest graphics houses in New
York. The friendship displayed between Gerry and Len is genuine and the
workmanship they have passed on is unselfish and fully visible at every
turn. The vast legacy these three men have instilled in others is truly
immeasurable. My hats off to the
"The Three Wizards." We should all have mentors of this stature.
DAY TWO
 After
the rousing greeting from everyone and meeting with fellow Americans John
Hodgins and his wife Mary, the incorrigible Cam Bortz, Trish O'Neil and
Jeff & Mary Beth Lang. Lunch, provided by the FAS commissary, was the
first time everyone was together in one room at one time. It was a
pleasure to see how many of these "sign artists" were young
(anyone under 40 these days is young to me) and eager to talk signs to
anyone that would share or listen. Pat and I were really attracted to a
couple from Limerick, Pat and Marie Castillon, most of our lunch was spent
visiting them and getting acquainted. Pat has his own business (home
based) as most sign business' are in Ireland and his wife is studying
interior decorating.
 An
itinerary was proposed during lunch, and after lunch was a work shop
on marbling by Gerry and a workshop on wood graining by Nole. Their
methods are different than I have ever seen before, a lot of mental notes
were taken. The biggest difference I've seen in methodology here is the
time factor, all methods taught by the "Big Three" are quick,
efficient, and long lasting.
Looking through the works in progress one
piece really caught my eye, a piece of plate glass about 2'x4' and gilded
from top to bottom with incredible attention to detail (God I hope the
picture turns out). The creator is Eoin Quigley of Kilkenny. Watch for
this piece. I'm sure it will make the publications.
  Late
afternoon was allotted to getting "dug in" at our bed and
breakfast, then off (by bus) to a "Traditional Irish Pub"
complete with Irish sausages and chips, Guiness and of course, more cider.
As it turned out one of the beer companies was having a promotional night
and we got a good dose of costumed well wishers dancing to American
"rock and roll", almost like being home, only with Guiness. A
good time was had by all. Gerry made arrangements for us all to be
returned to our home bases by bus. Another well orchestrated feat by the
maestro.
DAY THREE
   After
a filling "Irish Breakfast" 2 eggs (cooked the way
"they" like them) a cooked tomato, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, toast
and a large black pellet called "black Pudding" (later to be
identified as Blood sausages). Shortly after we're all loaded on a bus for
a Sign Tour of Clonakilty, a twenty minute ride into our first Irish
"village", the countryside was truly magnificent.
The local signman, who's work
is most prolific in the village Clonakilty, is Tommy Tupier. (pronounced
Tupper) Tommy was to give the tour, but as fate would have it,
there was a death in his immediate family and justifiably he had to step
down. After seeing his work, it was easy to see he is a master at his
craft. He has been almost solely responsible for the renaissance that has
transformed this and other towns into the traditional look of yesteryear.
You will see some vinyl here and there but for the most part the computer
is used as a layout, design and pattern tool by most painters in Ireland.
As you can see by some of the pictures taken hand lettering is more than
alive and well in Ireland.
  
 After
lunch a local architect / historian, Morris McArthur, filling in for
Tommy, presented a slide show depicting Clonakilty 30 years ago in
contrast to now, what an achievement for one man, Tommy has literally
changed the face of the town and attitudes of all the towns people, almost
single-handedly. His premise was to not just paint signs, but to design
and create entire facades, including all the moldings panel systems 
and signage. With this and the "Tidy Town" project that has
inspired all of Ireland to restore its towns to their once quaint
grandeur. The renaissance is completed with the finished touches of Floral
baskets everywhere you looked. As it turned out all of Ireland is covered
in flora, whether it be along the road side or be it man placed in every
town we visited. What a beautiful place to   
be! I heard one comment during the tour (I wish I could remember from
whom) "It's as though the
whole town of Clonakilty was built just so we could come here to take this
sign tour." The funniest event of the day came as I took a breather
and noticed we (as a group) had all the towns people town "looking
up" to see what we were looking at.
 Our
next stop was the Jameson Distillery, where they make Jameson Irish
Whisky. As I recall it is the oldest Distillery in Ireland and was still a
working still all the way into the 60's when it was closed down and a new
Building was built to house it. A walking tour thru the old buildings
brought on feelings that are hard to describe, just imagining what it was
like to work there was intriguing to say the least. The tour ended with a  
whisky tasting session with two of "Americas best" Trish and
Cam, and twin representatives of the Irish persuasion. The report as best
they could remember was blurred at best, but nearly comprehend able (only
kidding, they handled it like journeymen ;) The distillery held some
interest to Gerry as a place for his students to get some hands-on
experience designing and developing signage for the buildings on site. I
hope that comes to fruition, I would like to return there and see the
outcome.
 Later
that day we toured the "Model Village" a miniature of all the
county, (about a half block square) including all the landmarks complete
with miniature railway and tour guide. It was very well done with every
detail painstakingly precise and lovingly maintained. A fun little tour
and a nice way to spend the afternoon.
 As
the day progressed we road the bus into Kinsale for an evening in a
traditional pub. "The Spaniard" is a PUB and restaurant that
dated back (if I recall right) several hundred years to the time when
pirates used the area to plunder passing ships. A traditional Irish band
(complete with the traditional "Irish bongos" of Len DeLaCour
and a song or two from Gerry) played for several hours and the buffet
provided was a terrific spread. A lot of Guiness was downed, speaches came
from several different sources, stand up Irish comedy from Joe Flynn and
some of the most heart felt poetry I've ever heard coming from Brian
O'Prey, an extraordinarily talented signpainter from Northern Ireland. All
the poetry was written by himself and as we talked later, I found out some
of it has even been published.
 
The show stopper of the night however came when Gerry threw out a
challenge to 'Birthday Boy' Cam Bortz to "stand and be counted"
as a spokesman for the American contingent. He rose to the occasion like a
fire horse headed into the smoke. Never missing a beat, Cam stood, raised
his glass and went into what seemed to be a 10 minute recital of the poem
Terrance...by A. E. Hausman. Never once did he flounder. The entire place
was mesmerized during this special moment and as he finished, there was a
rousing round of applause and toasting all around. He did the Americans
proud ! (thank god Gerry picked Cam). As the evening came to an end we all
wandered into the night and walked back down the long twisted road into
town, to ride the bus home. The tide was in and the moon was dancing off
the water like some fairy tale ending to a special dream.
DAY FOUR
 This
day we were up at the crack of 9:30 (nearly missing breakfast at the
b&b)we hopped a bus and headed for the venue, everyone was there
getting ready to take group and project pictures. A lot of sad looks and
hand shakes this day. We traded as many cards as we could then went up
stairs for one last time and Gerry gave away all the sponsored door
prizes.
Afterwards Gerry and Len Thanked everyone for their participation and
informed us that after every meal, bus trip and amenity was paid for there
still was some money left over from the entry fees and with everyone's
permission he would present it (the extra funds) to the FAS School to
assist in their program.
      
Pat and I really enjoyed a late visit with a lovely young woman named
Stella Sparks, a died in the wool Letterhead if ever there was one. Look
for her to visit the states, we could tell she is an adventurer and boy is
she talented. The next hour or so was pretty frantic locating all the
pieces we wanted to take pictures of and saying our goodbyes to everyone
at the same time.
  Special
thanks needs to go to two other people that worked behind the scenes, Nora
O'Sullivan (Gerry's significant other) and Declan Newman "Deccy"
to his friends. Both of these people were more than gracious and went way
beyond the call to see to it everyone was taken care of.
REFLECTIONS:
 The
format of this meet was quite different from anything we have experienced
before and I think that is what made it so refreshing. A whole new batch
of people ,all with the same thing in common coming together on unfamiliar
turf (for us anyway) and sharing information openly and freely. For the
hand lettering purist this is Sign Nirvana and for the contemporary sign
maker it is a chance to visit the roots of your craft.
Ireland has something for everyone and the
friendship this country poured out to us will never be forgotten.
Thank you to the "Three Wizards of the
Emerald Isle" and all our friends in Ireland.
New friendships were created
of a lasting nature, mental pictures of these people make us smile every
day.
  The
following is a close compilation of finances required for this trip.
Hopefully it will help those of you that wish to make the Manchester
England Meet in the year 2000.
We'll see you there...
One final note: After re-reading this brief
reflection of events I couldn't help but notice how many times I used the
word "friend" It would seem as tho, that one word says
everything that can be said about Ireland.
Thank you "Friend, Ireland"...
Respectfully submitted: Monte &Pat
Jumper / SIGNLanguage Norman, Okla.
   
More On Our Ireland Trip To Come! Watch For
It Here. |
Letterhead
Meets are Letterhead Meets! Whosoever believeth in this has not been to
Ireland...While the "hands on" projects were few, the talent was
brim full and running over.The friendship and congeniality was above and
beyond the call, and the beer? My god ...I've never seen so much beer,
Guinness or Murphy's actually, or for us light weights, the Ciders were a
welcome change from American brews.
