Dolomites - Amelia Edwards

 Another, who operated in the 19th Century was Amelia Edwards -

Wikipedia

born on 7 June 1831 in Islington, London, to an Irish mother (of the Walpole family of Tipperary) and a father who had been a British Army officer before becoming a banker, Edwards was educated at home by her mother, (often visited the Walpole family in Ireland during her childhood) and showed early promise as a writer. She published her first poem at the age of seven and her first story at the age of twelve. Thereafter came a variety of poetry, stories and articles in several periodicals, including Chambers's Journal, Household Words and All the Year Round. She also wrote for the Saturday Review and the Morning Post.

In addition, Edwards became an artist. She would illustrate some of her own writings and also paint scenes from other books she had read. She was talented enough at the age of 12 to catch the eye of George Cruikshank, who went so far as to offer to teach her, but this talent of hers was not supported by Edwards's parents, who saw art as a lesser profession and the artist's way of life as scandalous. Their negative decision haunted Edwards through her early life. She would wonder frequently whether art would not have been her true calling.

Thirdly, Edwards took up composing and performing music for some years. Other interests she pursued included pistol shooting, riding and mathematics. 

Monte Pelmo

At the time of Edwards's visit, the Dolomites were described as terra incognita and even educated persons had never heard of them. This journey was described in her book A Midsummer Ramble in the Dolomites (1873), later entitled Untrodden Peaks and Infrequent Valleys.

On 1 July 1872, after a three-day stay in Venice, Edwards and Renshaw left for the mountains, visiting Cortina d'Ampezzo,  Primiero,  Passo Fedaia, Sasso Bianco, and many other places, ending their journey in Bolzano.

Sasso di Ronch

After her descent from the mountains, Edwards described civilized life as a "dead-level World of Commonplace". In the summer of 1873, dissatisfied by the end of their journey, Edwards and Renshawe took to a walking tour of France. However, this was interrupted by torrential rains, a factor that influenced them in looking towards Egypt. Her travels in Egypt made her aware of increasing threats to ancient monuments from tourism and modern development. She set out to hinder these through public awareness and scientific endeavour, becoming an advocate for research and preservation of them. In 1882, she co-founded the Egypt Exploration Fund .  Her dedication to this science earned her the nickname of "the Godmother of Egyptology". It is for this that she is remembered today and less so for her groundbreaking exploration of the Dolomites.

Primiero (Wikipedia)

Edwards also supported Somerville College Library, having left many books, papers and watercolours to Somerville College, Oxford,

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Early 20th Century Rock climbing in Ireland

 The first recorded climbs in Ireland were done in 1925 at the Scalp by Harold Johnson,

The Scalp (Joe King -  CC ).

 but climbing as a recognised activity did not really get underway until the group known as the "Old IMC” began climbing in 1942. ( Calvin Torrans).  However, despite not being a recognised or organised activity there certainly was some climbing undertaken in the early years of the century.

As mentioned earlier some members of the Dublin Arts Club regularly travelled to North Wales.  It is very likely that they undertook some climbs around Dublin on sea cliffs or in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains.  One of these, Page L. Dickinson, went as far as to write a piece for the Climbers Club Jounal entitled:      A Rock Climb in County Wicklow. (Vol XI. Sep 1908. No 41)  In this he says "During the last three or four summers, (i.e as early as 1904) a small group of us living in Dublin have, inspired by Easter and 'Xmas spent in Wales and Cumberland, been exploring the Wicklow mountains, with a view to ascertaining what we could find in the way of rock climbing.'  He mentions crags at Lough Bray, Glendalough, the Scalp, Rocky Valley and Lough Dan but only to say that they didn't provide many possibilities - even though some of these became, later in the century, much used by climbers.

He goes on to describe how '...one day last summer, after having spent a weekend at Lough Dan, and working out some little problems...' they discovered '..a remarkably fine looking crag..' at Lough Tay.  This was the crag at Luggala and he tells how he and three friends (Sparrow, Evans and Earp) spent  six hours on the rope in the first asccent of what he named the 'Black Route'.  It has been impossible to locate this climb for certain, but the most likely location is Intermediate Gully, with one of the several routes above Pine Tree Terrace as the finish. (see IMEHS Journal Vol 2 pp 43).

Luggala (Wikipedia)

A few years later Dickenson, along with a friend (Conor O' Brien) wrote another article for the Climber's Club Journal entitled Mountaineering in Ireland, in which they describe the Rock Climbing possibilities in the various mountain ranges around the country but in their opinion '..rock suitable for serious climbing is almost entirely lacking...nothing to repay a definite climbing visit...'.  This may have done a dis-service to the development of the sport since, in later years, many of the places mentioned became serious rock climbing venues - the Mournes, Comeraghs, Fair Head, the Burren.

This group of friends, members of the newly formed Dublin Arts Club, made regular visits to North Wales.  Geoffrey Winthrop Young had begun, in about 1907, to organise gatherings of climbers at Pen-Y-Pass in Snowdonia.  He was a cousin to Page Dickinson, who. along with some of his Irish climbing friends feature prominently in accounts of these gatherings that later included some of Britains outstanding climbers.  Another member of this group was E.L. Julian who features in accounts of the Pen-y-Pass gatherings.

Page Dickenson, Conor O'Brien, Frank Sparrow, Edward Evans, E.L. Julian were the main group members and their stories will be recounted in more detail in future posts.

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