Colm Sullivan
Posted Monday, March 25, 2013
Colm
Sullivan was blessed with such perfect physical beauty that he was termed "easy
on the eyes" and dubbed "beauty man from Ireland" by Larkin family chef Claude
Mondoux. Colm had a mellow temperament with integrity, was moderately educated,
and people seemed to trust him instinctively. Colm was a gifted artist,
rendering many stunning portraits in his lifetime. His love for Molly Larkin
never died, not even after she flung herself from the cliffs on Banshee Point.
Later, as he was getting ready to meet his own maker, Colm had ghostly visions
of Molly as she appeared cold and wraithlike in his garden...
Colm Michael Sullivan (Colmcille Mícheál Súilleabháin) was born on St. Patrick's Day, 17th March 1860 in Malahide, County Dublin, Ireland. His interest in art began at an early age. He was sketching and drawing people and landscapes by the age of seven. He attended St. Andrew's School in Malahide, where his portrait of the school won first prize in 1873.
Colm became keeper of the Robswall Lighthouse in Malahide in 1878, shortly after his eighteenth birthday. Colm's parents, Michaleen and Eibhlín Sullivan, were killed by British soldiers in 1879. Later that same year, Colm's younger sister Bridget died in a house fire. With no family left, Colm set his sights on America.
His boat arrived in New York Harbor in June 1880, when he was hired by wealthy businessman John Larkin to become the first lighthouse keeper at Banshee Point, Maine. It is believed the photograph of Colm below was taken by Larkin family chef Claude Mondoux shortly after his arrival in 1880.
Colm kept a journal from June 1880 to January 1890. The diary was lost after his death in 1933 but was rediscovered in 1995, hidden in a roll-top desk inside the lighthouse keeper's cottage at Banshee Point. It was found by author Angela Larkin Page, who is Colm's great-great-great niece and John Larkin's great-great-great granddaughter.
As well as being the lighthouse keeper and continuing to paint, Colm fell in love with John Larkin's daughter, Molly. They kept their romance secret from John Larkin, who was keen for his only daughter to marry a wealthy man with impeccable social position. Colm and Molly conducted most of their trysts in the lighthouse keeper's cottage, where Colm also painted his lover in a variety of settings.
Their love affair was revealed when Molly became pregnant in late 1880. John Larkin forbade his daughter from seeing Colm Sullivan again, and forced her to bear twin sons in secret to avoid public scandal. The boys, named Michael Kevin Sullivan (Mick) and John Rory Sullivan (Johnny), were given over to Colm shortly after their birth on 30th June 1881.
Colm married Molly's personal maid Maureen Kelly on 1st November 1880 at the suggestion of John Larkin. The marriage, which was initially a matter of convenience, was undertaken to provide a proper home for the twin boys. For the sake of propriety, both Colm and Maureen claimed to be the biological parents. Sadly, Johnny Sullivan died at the age of five in 1886. Colm and Maureen went on to have one child together, son Aidan Jack Kelly Sullivan (born in 1886), who later became a Catholic priest.
After giving birth to the twins, Molly Larkin suffered from severe depression for many years. She languished in the attic of the family mansion, a stone's throw from the keeper's cottage where Colm lived with Maureen and the children. Molly became addicted to laudanum, rarely leaving the attic space she called home.
On 26th November 1886, Molly left the attic one final time. She visited Colm in the lighthouse, afterward throwing herself from the cliffs at Banshee Point. She was buried in the Larkin Family Cemetery on the estate grounds.
Maureen Kelly passed away in 1910, while Colm went on as lighthouse keeper until his retirement in 1919. He moved to a cottage in Larkin City, which is now the home of his same-named art gallery.
Colm Sullivan died in 1933, at the age of 73. He is buried in the Larkin City Cemetery, between his wife Maureen Kelly and his son Johnny Sullivan.
ARTISTIC LEGACY:
The Colm Sullivan Art Gallery opened to the public on Friday, 18th April 2008 (re: Megan's Legacy). The opening occurred nearly seventy-five years to the day after the death of its namesake Colm Michael Sullivan, a condition which was stipulated in his last will and testament in 1933.
The Larkin's gave me much upon my arrival in America, so I feel they should have the humble largesse of my artwork. Molly and John always admired it so. However, my desire to keep the artwork from public display until seventy-five years after my death insures that no one depicted in the paintings will be alive to judge or react in anger. One day everyone will understand my actions, and it is my earnest hope that no one will think too harshly of me.
Colm's last will and testament also stipulated that any proceeds earned from the display of his artwork must go to a worthy cause. Profits are currently distributed between the Fishermen's Benefit Fund, the Larkin Medical Relief Association and the Animal Life Centre (Larkin City's no-kill animal shelter).
The Colm Sullivan Art Gallery is housed in a cottage on Cove Hollow Circle in Larkin City, Maine, once the private home of Colm Sullivan. After Colm's death in 1933, the cottage was occupied by his grandson Jean-Claude Sullivan for seven years. Roddy Larkin purchased the cottage in 1940. The cottage was maintained for several decades by the Larkin family, but was never leased or occupied until it was designated as the site for the art gallery in 2007.
(Pictured above, from left): Colm Sullivan's retirement cottage in Larkin City (now the site of the Colm Sullivan Art Gallery) and the cottage garden (right), where Colm painted during the last years of his life amidst ghostly visions of Molly Larkin.
Megan Larkin is director of the Colm Sullivan Art Gallery.
She is also the proud great-great-great-granddaughter of both John Larkin, founder of Larkin City, and Colm Sullivan, former lighthouse keeper and artist extraordinaire.
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