"Ballyscunnion" [1] was an imaginary village located in Ireland, depicted in 285 scraperboard cartoons by the illustrator, painter and comics artist William St. John Glenn RUA.
William St John Glenn was born in 1904,[2] was described as an artist of warmth and gentle humour, and this was present in "Ballyscunnion"[3] as the village came to terms in its own way with the changing world.
The work spanned over 30 years and, because the period detail was so accurate, it makes a unique pictorial history of social changes in rural Ireland.
Then from late 1938 "Ballyscunnion" appeared in scraperboard and continued this way until 1969, with a break from mid 1940 till 1946, due to illness and the war.
Sir Charles suggested that the "Ballyscunnion" collection should be relocated to the National Gallery in Dublin, stating that "I am sure the likes of this will not be seen again.