Shortly after his 1898 high school graduation, Ireland was hired by The Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, Ohio. Ireland worked his entire life for the Dispatch, drawing four to seven editorial cartoons each week in addition to his weekly feature, The Passing Show. Ireland was best known for The Passing Show, which debuted on February 9, 1908, with its title inspired by George Lederer's The Passing Show, the first successful American revue-format entertainment. In Ireland's full-page color Sunday strip, he commented on everything from local politics and visiting celebrities to the trials and tribulations of the Ohio State University football team. For the September 30, 1923 Passing Show page, Ireland created a character inspired by Ohio State's 1902 school song, "Carmen Ohio". The Passing Show came to an end on June 2, 1935, the Sunday following his death on May 29.
Legacy
Comic strip historianAllan Holtz commented: ", written in 1902. In 2003, his work was exhibited at Ohio State University's Cartoon Library & Museum, since renamed the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Another exhibition of Ireland's work was mounted in 2010, as announced by the Museum's founding curator, Lucy Shelton Caswell: The Elizabeth Ireland Graves Foundation is managed by the cartoonist's granddaughter, Sayre Graves. In September 2009, it was announced that the Ohio State UniversityBoard of Trustees approved a new name, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, in recognition of a $7 million gift from the Elizabeth Ireland Graves Foundation to support the renovation of the University's Sullivant Hall. The $20.6 million project was completed in 2013, and the Sullivant Hall houses both the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum and Ohio State's Department of Dance. While at the Dispatch, Ireland mentored notable cartoonists Dudley Fisher, Milton Caniff and Ray Evans.
Books
Some of his work is collected in Lucy Caswell's book, Billy Ireland, first published by the Museum in 1980 and expanded in a 2008 edition. Promoting the book, Caswell gave a January 24, 2008 lecture which was reviewed by J. Caleb Mozzocco:
