So Christmas is well and truly on its way. Since the start of November, we have seen Christmas trees springing up throughout the city, Christmas ads are swallowing up air time, Christmas FM is back (digitally for now) and most importantly, The Holly Bough is out.
The Holly Bough is a newspaper/ magazine that has been in print since 1897 and it chronicles the social history of Cork. Readers are invited to submit their own stories and photographs and topics can range from war-time remembrances to celebrity sightings. There are also sections on fashion, food, and lifestyle.
Personally, my favourite feature of The Holly Bough is the cover. For many years the cover featured old photos of Cork but that changed in 2016 when Will Sliney, a Cork-born comic book artist, was invited to illustrate the cover. His cover featured a collection of famous figures in Cork such as Cillian Murphy and Anna Geary. Since then a different Cork artist has been selected every year to illustrate the cover in their own style. This year Keith Anderson was the chosen artist and his cover depicts the magnificent St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral and South Gate Bridge.
The Holly Bough has endured through the years because it’s such a love letter to Cork. Everyone will find something relatable in it and it’s a fascinating look at times past. It’s become a tradition to send a copy to family and friends living abroad and you can see from the photo section how far-reaching that community has become. As the editor, John Dolan puts it “It’s written by Cork people for Cork People”.
So have you gotten your copy yet?
https://www.echolive.ie/hollybough/
**On a side note for anyone interested in the artists and their covers;
- 2016- Will Sliney’s cover featured a collection of Cork personalities.
- 2017- Niall McCarthy’s cover focused on the Big Wheel on Grand Parade.
- 2018- Jill Cotter’s cover depicted the Remembrance Tree on Patrick Street.
- 2019- Don Carey’s cover was a vintage style illustration of Daunt Square
- 2020- Jason O’ Gorman’s fun cover showed Rudolph and Santa flying around Shandon Bells and Tower.
- 2021- Keith Anderson’s features an impressive view of South Gate Bridge and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral
Nearly all of the artists sell their work online (Will Sliney displays his work on his website, but it’s not available to buy). Jill Cotter, Don Carey and Keith Anderson all sell reproductions of their Holly Bough cover on their websites/ Etsy pages.
She Kept Christmas 