31/05/2026
My painting โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐โ has now been acquired for a very special private collection ๐
This was one of the very first works I created for my ๐ฝ๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ collection; a body of work exploring identity and our connection through language and literature.
This painting reflects on the near disappearance of the Irish language over generations through colonisation, and its re-emergence through contemporary Irish culture and the people who fought to ensure it survived.
Beneath the paint layers are fragments from ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ (one of the earliest surviving texts written in the Irish language) where the speaker declares his connection to the land, nature and elemental power.
Layered above are handwritten lines from Nuala Nรญ Dhomhnaillโs poem ๐พ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ (๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ช๐), a contemporary poem reflecting the authorโ hope for the survival, preservation and future flourishing of the Irish language.
Iโm delighted to see the collector connecting so deeply with this work, which is a very special piece to me ๐๐ฝ
