George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

GBS bust

George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin on 26th July 1856. He was the son of George Carr Shaw and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw (nee Gurly). His formal education finished early and he started work at the age of fifteen. Shaw’s ties with Carlow are particulary noteworthy. His uncle Dr. John Walter Gurly who died in 1899 bequeathed all his properties in the Carlow area to Shaw’s mother and thereafter to his six step sisters should they remain unmarried. However, they all did marry and so Shaw became the owner. One of the properties was the Assembly Rooms donated to the Technical Instruction Committee in 1919. In 1944, Shaw made a bequest of his entire Carlow properties to Carlow Urban Council. This became the basis of the Civic Improvement Fund. Many portraits of Shaw exist but this bust of Shaw is by the Sculptor, Sava Botzaris (1894-1965). He was born in the former Yugoslavia. The bust is housed in Carlow County Library, in Tullow Street, Carlow.

Carlow County Library

GBS bust
Carlow County Library

GBS bust

George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin on 26th July 1856. He was the son of George Carr Shaw and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw (nee Gurly). His formal education finished early and he started work at the age of fifteen. Shaw’s ties with Carlow are particulary noteworthy. His uncle Dr. John Walter Gurly who died in 1899 bequeathed all his properties in the Carlow area to Shaw’s mother and thereafter to his six step sisters should they remain unmarried. However, they all did marry and so Shaw became the owner. One of the properties was the Assembly Rooms donated to the Technical Instruction Committee in 1919. In 1944, Shaw made a bequest of his entire Carlow properties to Carlow Urban Council. This became the basis of the Civic Improvement Fund. Many portraits of Shaw exist but this bust of Shaw is by the Sculptor, Sava Botzaris (1894-1965). He was born in the former Yugoslavia. The bust is housed in Carlow County Library, in Tullow Street, Carlow.

Carlow County Library

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George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin on 26th, July 1856. He was the son of George Carr Shaw and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw (née Gurly). Shaw's formal education finished early and he started work as a junior clerk at the age of fifteen.

Shaw began his literary career by writing music and theatre criticism. He later became a leading figure in 20th century theatre. His well-known works include "Major Barbara" and "John Bulls Other Island". His play "Pygmalion" originally written for the actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell, became the basis for two films and a musical. During his long career he wrote over 50 plays.

George Bernard Shaw's ties with Carlow are particularly noteworthy and his legacy to the town is considerable. His Uncle Dr. John Walter Gurly (died 1899) bequeathed all his properties in the area to Shaw's mother and thereafter, to his six stepsisters provided they remained unmarried. Because they all married it passed instead to his nephew George Bernard Shaw. His first gesture to the people of Carlow was the gift of the Assembly Rooms in Dublin Street in 1919 to the Technical Instruction Committee through its chairman Rev. Dr. Foley Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. The building was in a dilapidated state. Shaw had once remarked that it would make an excellent observatory as the stars could be studied through the holes in its roof! It opened as a Technical School in 1923 and was later owned by the Vocational Education Committee. In the late 1970's it became the County Library and remained so until 1998. In 1944, Shaw made a bequest of his entire Carlow properties to the Carlow Urban Council. The rents from these properties then amounted to £180.00. This became the Civic Improvement Fund, which Shaw saw as forming the nucleus of a much bigger fund.

Today the visitor to Carlow can see the former Assembly Rooms property in Dublin Street. This building still has its original 18th century façade and includes a fine example of a Wyatt Window. Another Shaw property can be found at No. 143 Tullow Street. Many portraits of Shaw exist but a bust of Shaw by the sculptor Sava Botzaris can be seen in the County Library in Tullow Street. In this building too, can be found the Shaw Room dedicated to this great literary figure.

George Bernard Shaw died in Hertfordshire on November 2nd, 1950.