Loughrea St. Brendan's Cathedral. An Angel Holding a Lance 1908

Sarah Purser created this stained glass image of an angel holding a lance for St. Brendan’s Cathedral in Loughrea. Imagine her carefully selecting each piece of coloured glass, cutting it to fit her design, then piecing it all together like a giant, luminous puzzle. The angel stands there, almost melancholy, draped in robes of deep red and blue, holding the lance. It’s a moment of quiet contemplation, an invitation to pause and reflect. I’m thinking about the light streaming through, transforming the church into this space of contemplation and wonder. It’s an incredible feat of craft, but it’s also deeply emotive. Purser worked during a period of revival in Irish arts and crafts, a time of looking back to traditional skills and materials. She, like other artists, was engaging in a conversation that has been going on for centuries. Each artwork is built upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before. And by looking at them, we get to be part of that exchange.