Tragic Frank
Frank was the youngest child born to Dr Thomas O'Meara and Sarah Isbourne in 1853.
The O'Mearas were a distinguished medical family with roots in Tipperary.
The Widow
This is one of O'Meara's paintings of a lady standing by water. She is mourning the loss of her husband. It is a sad painting. Do you like it? If you would like to see it in real life, it hangs in the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery in Dublin.
Hugh Lane Municipal GalleryThe Widow
Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery
Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery
The Widow
This is one of O'Meara's paintings of a lady standing by water. She is mourning the loss of her husband. It is a sad painting. Do you like it? If you would like to see it in real life, it hangs in the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery in Dublin.
Hugh Lane Municipal GalleryFrank's parents moved to Dublin Street in Carlow, where he and his six older brothers and sisters were born.
One of his brothers, one of his sisters and his mother had died by the time Frank was 20. He was to be affected by these losses throughout his life.
His paintings, though beautiful, have a lonely quality, which hints at a deep sadness in their creator.
Education
Frank received his early education in Knockbeg College, near Carlow Town. He left for Dublin when he was 18. We don't know very much about his life at this point.
It is unlikely that he underwent arts training in Dublin. Rather, he probably began to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps, towards a career in medicine.
However, his artistic temperament was beginning to show more brightly. In a sketchbook from the 1870s which is still around today, the young Frank drew many stunning pictures of Carlow landscapes.