Ruth and Boaz by William Orpen.

From the Book of Ruth – Ruth marries Mahlon who dies after 10 years and Ruth decides to take care of her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. Naomi objects but Ruth insists –
“Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16).
Ruth then meets Boaz, they get married, have a son and live happily ever after.

The painting is in The Mildura Art Centre, Australia.

The model is Grace Gifford (1885 – 1955), she was a student of William Orpen at the Metropolitan Art School, Dublin.

Photo of Grace Gifford and William Orpen (coloured by Colour in Ireland).

Grace Gifford married Joseph Mary Plunkett hours before he was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising.
Here are the words of the song written by Sean & Frank O’Meara: –

As we gather in the chapel here in old Kilmainham Jail
I think about these past few weeks, oh will they say we’ve failed
From our schooldays they have told us we must yearn for liberty
Yet all I want in this dark place is to have you here with me.

CHORUS.
Oh Grace just hold me in your arms ad let this moment linger
They’ll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won’t be time to share our love for we must say goodbye.

Now I know it’s hard for you my love to ever understand
The love I bear for these brave men, my love for this dear land
But when the Padhraic called me to his side down in the GPO
I had to leave my own sick bed, to him I had to go CHORUS

Now as dawn is breaking, my heart is breaking too,
On this May morn as I walk out my thoughts well be of you
And I’ll write some words upon the wall so everyone will know
I love so much that I could see his blood upon the rose.

CHORUS.

Grace – Sung here by Rod Stewart: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxIrmWfKJuQ

And here by The Wolftones: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lotnXbJP9Gg

Post by Dominic Lee.