Exhibition to Crete, October 2002
Oil Paintings and Sculptures
The idea for this exhibition came from a
suggestion by one of the actors in the recent Macnas performance of Granuaille
(see Here at Macnas).
I found that the theme enabled me to see in a new light landscape and places
with which I have a strong connection, namely Connemara and Mayo. I could connect
history, legend and the present. I could also see in the work a larger connection
with women's lives. There is a life story here - from protected girl to young
woman with aspirations for adventure, from the many voyages (sometimes we are
at sea and alone) to the traveller in need of respite, from the warrior defending
home to the final resting place. It is a theme for further exploration.
Dubhdarra, or Black
Oak, was the name given to Owen O'Malley, Grace's father.
Bunowen
81 cms x 102 cms
As a young woman,
Grace lived at Bunowen in Connemara. Her old tower by the sea
has since been replaced by a grander version.
At Sea
91.5 cms x 66 cms
One of many Voyages
Sometimes in life we are alone and at sea
Tourmakeady
114.5 cms x 84 cms
A Resting Place between
Connemara and her castles in Mayo
Rockfleet
81cms x 66 cms
Granuaile frequently
had to defend
this tower, one of her last homes.
Burrishoole
66 cms x 82 cms
The Abbey at Burrishoole
may be
her final resting place.
GRACE O'MALLEY, PIRATE QUEEN
The story of Grace O'Malley (Granuaille) combines legend and history. There
are few recorded facts, but the outline of her life is known. I have used my
imagination for the rest. Grace became a Pirate Queen in the far west of Ireland
in the 16th Century - a time when Ireland was struggling for its life against
the power of England. She represents an old Ireland - an Ireland of autonomous
tribes, fiercely independent. Unfortunately it was this independence of spirit
which perhaps contributed to the inability of the tribes to unite against the
invader - that and the failure of their Spanish allies to reach England with
the Armada.
Grace was renowned for her courage, her seamanship, and
her leadership. She refused to succumb to the punitive tactics of her English
oppressors and even sailed to England to meet Queen Elizabeth I in an era where
she could easily have been beheaded. All of this she combined with running her
estates and mothering the three children of two marriages.
I think that Art
serves several purposes. At its best it seeks to comment on what is universal,
common to all, but on any level, it is a form of expression, of communication.
I think that Art serves several purposes. At its best it seeks to comment on
what is universal, common to all, but on any level, it is a form of expression,
of communication.
