Brief Biography-Roderic O’Connor was born in Castleplunkett, County Roscommon. He spent time at the Royal Hibernian Academy and later visited Antwerp and Paris. He was one of the few Irish artists who the impressionists influenced, perhaps with the exceptions of Walter Osborne and Sir John Lavery. Nevertheless, Bastien Lepage made an impression on most Irish artists. After returning from Tahiti, he became a close friend of Paul Gauguin and knew Van Gogh, who influenced his work. O’Connor, at the time, was the only Irish artist to be recognised internationally.