Meet the fascinating Sheffield 'Irish Triangle' artist you may have seen doodling in pub corners
If you happen to visit one of the three pubs in the fabled ‘Irish Triangle’, you may have seen the work of an unassuming Sheffield man named Keith Short.
A pint of ‘sump oil’ (read: Guinness) on the table, quietly sketching in the corner - the unassuming nature of Keith Short may mean some folk don’t notice him at all.
Over the years though, his sketches and paintings have adorned the walls of some of Sheffield’s favourite watering holes, and they certainly do catch the eye.
The Dog & Partridge, Fagan’s and The Grapes have all proudly display Keith’s art, although the Dog & Partridge is the only one without one on display at the moment. The former landlady Ann Flynn took Keith’s work with her when she left the Dog & Partridge after 40-years to focus on her other pub The Grapes – one that is forever intertwined with The Arctic Monkeys legacy and the city’s musical story.
The Grapes on Trippet Lane is the location of my catch-up with Keith and when I arrive he’s sat in the corner scratching away on his current sketch. One of The Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner, which is quite apt when you consider where we are.
The interior of the much-loved Sheffield institution is decidedly old-school. Aged and worn put packed with soul, a warmth and an endearing aura. I look at his artwork, and ask what led to him drawing in this trio of public houses.
“I got into this by accident. It’s just a follow on from what I was doing earlier, sitting in quiet and then being immersed in what was happening around me.
“I got drawn into the singing and the music of it all. The pictures came later.”
Just over three decades ago, Keith was impacted by a traumatic experience in such a way that he became a recluse from social interactions.
It wasn’t until the urging of his wife (a loving marriage of 57 years) that he began to get out again. He’d retreat into the quiet corner of the Dog & Partridge, where he’d sup a pint and quietly sketch.
Keith believes the community helped relieve of his lament and “drew” him out of it.
“I’ve tended to hide away from that, I go in a little corner, get my little pad out and draw a little picture,” he added.
“But, I love these people. This area, the triangle, there’s a culture there with the people. Loads of musicians, it’s almost embryonic this area. It’s sort of where they first start doing what they do, and doing it well.
“I wouldn’t have sung in public if it wasn’t for John,” Keith says with a forlorn sigh. John Dowling is a man who meant a lot to Keith.
Also known as ‘Big Jack’, John was an Irish and Sheffield legend who had an amazing career as an ultra-distance walker and holds the record as the only person to have walked both the length of Ireland and from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Brilliant though he was for his athletic endeavours, John unlocked something in Keith.
“God bless him. He got me singing,” said Keith. The first wall-mounted artwork of Keith’s was of John, who proudly beamed showing it off.
Keith spoke to me while looking at one of his pictures on the wall. It depicts a man, worn and depleted, separated from the present, a deep loss etched into his face. The eyes are orbs of perpetual sadness. It’s John.
It was sketched after John’s daughter, Theresa, had passed away following a cancer battle. Keith managed to capture the emotional toll on a man who in that moment was broken. Now John is remembered with reverence and almost a tear.
“Each one of these people is expressing themselves, in their way”, says Keith about his drawing muses in the pub.
He tells me the story of when a woman came in with her husband, who is battling dementia. Keith’s pictures elicited a recollection of memories long thought lost.
“I didn’t realise that other people would get something out of this,” Keith says.
After his own pain and struggles, Keith has been enriched by the people in the Irish community. He feels belonging within this group, like he’s found his place, singing in unison with spiritual sisters and brothers. But something still afflicts him.
“In a way, I’m trying to tell the world that I’m still worth something.” he said.“I come in here, have a few jars and then I can sing. Then when I sing, I say to the world ‘I am worth something’. That’s what I’m doing with the pictures.”
I can’t help but think the inclusion of his art is part of the fabric and psyche of The Grapes interior (and Fagan’s). It's clear he’s not only enough, but he embodies the people and the memories contained within.
I suggest to Keith that perhaps his drawings and paintings help others to remember not just the people but what was in this room of memories.
“To me, these people are giants. They don’t just let me walk amongst them, they welcome me amongst them and that’s fabulous.”
You can see Keith Short’s pictures and art for yourself at The Grapes on Trippet Lane and at Fagan’s on Tenter Street.