Who was/is this political cartoonist?

Hangdogroad

I came across a couple of mid 80s issues of Magill magazine in a charity shop. In them are a number of illustrations by a cartoonist who I remember as being pretty prolific in the 80s. I remember his (quite sure it was a man) cartoons often appearing in the Sunday World. For some reason the illustrations in Magill aren't credited and Google isn't helping. Can anyone identify this cartoonist?

Hangdogroad

Don't know why the first two pictures came out sideways BTW. Corrected them on my phone before posting and Boards doesn't have a rotate option in editing.

Hangdogroad

Still stumped as to who it is. Ruled out Martyn Turner and Tom Matthews as it doesn't match their style, taking into account that some artists style can change radically over the years, plus can't find anything about either of them working for Magill or the Sunday World. I think this artists work might have appeared in the Sunday Independent as well.

sydthebeat

The middle one could be fintan Tait? Edit, scratch that, he's way too young

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119513681#Comment_119513681

Beat me to it with your edit.

They're all by the same artist. Whoever they were, they had a very recognisable style. Would have been active circa 70s, 80s and maybe into the 90s. I can't remember when I last saw one of their illustrations in anything which makes me wonder are they retired or deceased. My main memory of them would have been during the Fianna Gael/Labour coalition of the mid 80s when they often used to do cartoons of Garret Fitzgerald, accentuating his long, pointy nose and huge head of wavy hair. Often tended to give subjects oversized heads, like in the Michael Noonan one on the bottom.

Hangdogroad

Downloaded a few covers with their artwork from the Magill archive, though you have to be subscribed to access the full issues.

sydthebeat

any online searching i did yesterday didnt turn up anything concrete unfortunately.

Hangdogroad

Searching the Irish News Archive I've found a few references to a cartoonist who went under the name "Littleman" and who is described as being cartoonist for Magill and the Sunday Tribune in a 1981 article. Cant find any images of their work to verify if theyre the same person as the cartoonist Im trying to identify but I'd imagine they are. Links to articles below.

https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/olive/APA/INA.Edu/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=WNS%2F1981%2F11%2F06&id=Ar01501&sk=29236453&viewMode=image

https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/olive/APA/INA.Edu/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=EHD%2F1984%2F02%2F09&id=Ar04201&sk=1841E773&viewMode=image

Edit, still active in 2011 with artwork by them, a picture of Shane McGowan using photo montage.

https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/olive/APA/INA.Edu/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=IND%2F2011%2F03%2F26&id=Ar04801&sk=7DF1501A&viewMode=image

Hangdogroad

Finally seem to have a name for him, Billy Drake.

https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/olive/APA/INA.Edu/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=KIP%2F1981%2F08%2F21&id=Ar02617&sk=BFF7C534&viewMode=image

Hangdogroad

Picture by Billy Drake / Littleman of Seamus Heaney from 1978. Its deffo the cartoonist I've been trying to identify, same style. Very much a mysterious figure. Next to no info about him out there.

https://twitter.com/majellaodea/status/574841222881230848

Hangdogroad

PIcked up a book called A Sense Of Ireland, published in 1980 to accompany a festival of Irish culture in London, in a charity shop. Has this two page piece by Littleman.

FrancieBrady

I have that Sense Of Ireland catalogue too and was at the exhibition as a friend had some paintings in it. A few more pieces here:

Drake, Billy - Drake, Billy | Ohio State University - Cartoon Library & Museum (pastperfectonline.com)