Tales from the Túath: Irish Immigration and Providence History Uncovered  

About the Exhibition

Tales from the Túath is a project curated by Claire Cordonnier (‘25) and Hayley Lonergan (‘26) that examines two artworks by D. Curley from the PCG permanent collection. The exhibition originated from Cordonnier and Lonergan’s curiosity towards the two watercolors that depict pastoral countrysides. Across each watercolor is a caption handwritten by Patrick J. McCarthy, the 24th mayor of Providence and the city’s first and only foreign-born mayor. These captions led to further research and exploration, which revealed invaluable histories of the immigrant experience and Providence politics during the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s).  

The title takes inspiration from Ireland, where McCarthy and his family immigrated from in 1850. “Túath”, meaning countryside or landscape in Irish, is a nod to the composition and setting of the artworks and the recently discovered historical narratives that surround them. These narratives include centuries of British Irish relations, which impacted McCarthy’s lived experience and later influenced his policies as mayor. Tales encompasses themes of immigration, resistance and reform, and visual historical inquiry, all while encouraging onlookers to investigate other works in the PCG permanent collection, and unearth the stories they contain.  

This exhibition is the inaugural project of Case Studies, a new Providence College Galleries initiative that showcases research-based projects focused on objects from the permanent collection.