An amazing journey to ancient celtic Ireland

I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to travel to Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichíl) which is 8 miles out to sea, off the western tip of the Iveragh Peninsula in South West Kerry,Ireland. We were blessed with a beautiful day which made the sea journey and the climb up the steps on Skellig rock possible. 

Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichíl) is an ancient monastic site where celtic monks went to live and pray on this very steep, wind & sea swept rock in the Atlantic Ocean. The first monks to live there were St.Fionnan and his followers in the 6th century. Over the 500 years that monks lived on Sceilig Mhichíl they built 8 beehive cells and 3chapels or oratories there from the rocks and stones of Sceilig Mhichil. Monks continued this monastic tradition on the Skellig until the 12th century. The beehive cells, and chapels remain intact to this day which is a testament to their building skills - using only dry stone walls. 

I was lucky enough to be part of a pilgrimage group who went there to trace the footstepsof these ancient monks. There was a group of 50 people who made the 8 mile boat journey to the Skellig. It was a bright sunny day but there was still a good swell on the sea so that we got soaked with sea water on the outward journey. Happily it did not dampen our spirits and we were delighted to alight on the small pier on Skellig. 

The most daunting part of the trip was the climb up the steps to the monastery. It is a very steeply sloped island/rock and it is a big challenge to maintain your balance and avoid a treacherous fall, which would lead to severe injuries and possible death depending on the height and location of the fall. Fortunately the monks built steps to all the important and startegic points on the island. All the steps are limestone flagstones put there by the monks, some of the steps were first put in place 1,500 years ago. It was a fantastic sense of living history in walking on these steps to make our way up to the beehive cells and chapels that they had constructed also. In spite of the sunny day there was a strong sea breeze which meant that people walked slowly and kept to the inner ledges to gain shelter. As we ascended the views of the surrounding sea, islands and the distant mainland were breath-taking. I took lots of photos and the clear bright sunlight gave brilliant colour and depth to the pictures. 

                                       

There are 600 steps to reach the monastery but it was a very pleasant and easy journey in such amazing scenery and beautiful weather. I was delighted to see the valiant spirit of my fellow pilgrims, the woman directly in front of me on the journey up the steps was 76 years of age and determined to get to the top. She was a lovely lively woman with a wonderful sense of enjoyment in life. 

When we reached the monastery we had time to have a look in the cells and the chapel. Fortunately we were accompanied by Noirín Ní Riain, who is a very well known and accomplished singer of chants and songs from distant times in Ireland and Europe. Her singing transported me back to the ancient times of the monks who had first set foot on this windswept rock. It captured their spirit and dedication to a higher ideal. Added to this was an ancient ritual of atonment, conducted by the celtic scholar Seán Ó Duinn, of walking clockwise around the tiny graveyard three times. This graveyard has remained untouched for almost 1,000 years and it still holds the bones of the ancient monks who dedicated their lives to God and died there. A horn was blown each time that we circled the graveyard and a small stone was dropped at the end of each circuit to signify atonement for any wrongs or injustices done and the banishment of sin and evil.                 To finish the pilrgrim part of the journey Nóirín and her 2 sons also gave a haunting rendition of an ancient celtic chant in the small beehive chapel that is a central part of this ancient monastic site. The cell could only hold 10 people and the windows were set high up and really small so there was very little light inside. In this darkness you could feel the presence of St.Fionnán and his fellow monks and this imbued the chant with a resonance and depth where time disappeared and a deeper, clearer sense of a simple pure faith filled the space joining past and present pilgrims on their journeys to enlightenment.   

Afterwards we just took time to slowly appreciate the amazing dedication of the anceint monks and to be able to value and respect this sacred space. It was the only regret I had on the day - not enough time to absorb and reflect on the significance and meaning of this ancient sacred place. It is wonderful to think that it is being carefully preserved and protected as it is truly unique and people need time and space to fully recognise and value what it holds and means. 

                                     

I am delighted to have had the opprtunity to make the trip, ecpecially as part of a pilgrim group, as it really brought home to me the rich and valuable heritage of Ireland. Such a journey reaches into the depths of your soul and spirit to challenge any narrow or limited perspectives that we might have about life and immortality. As a teacher of history it brought me face to face with the truly amazing spirit of dedication, determination and selflessness that St.Fionnan and his fellow monks made the hallmarks of their lives in their  pursuit of their ascetic ideals. I felt greatly humbled and enriched by this pilgrimage and uplifted by this spiritual experience that strongly connected me back to my celtic roots.    

The journey to Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichíl) was so full of meaning and left me with so many thoughts and emotions that I know that I will paint a number of very striking scenes from the trip. Once again it is one of the great pleasures of painting that I have an opportunity to go back and relive the journey and its meaning to me. It will give me an oppportunity to delve deeper into what it meant to me and explore how I will express this in my paintings. It is fantastic to have such deep and meaningful experiences as I know that it greatly enriches my life and give me a wider and deeper perspective on life in the past, present and future. 

As I have been working on paintings with a morbid theme (cancer) in recent days this journey lifted my spirits and gives me a greater feeling and understanding of the next life and how keeping this in perspective balances and enriches how we make the most of the here and now. 

As a Kerryman I was delighetd to have travelled back to one of the most iconic places in the 'Kingdom' and proud to have experienced such a sense of connection with the place.     

                                    

Capturing the inner working of cancer

As I work on the theme of cancer I have spent a lot of time trying to find information and images of cancer. Some of the most interesting images have been scans which show in minute detail the working of cancer cells in various parts of the body. It is fascinating to see the bright vivid colours that are revealed in scans and the amazing tentacles of the spreading cancerous growths or the globules of cancer that spread in a silent and deadly manner. 

I always get a twinge of fear or anxiety when I go to find information on cancer as I know from family and friends who have been diagnosed and treated for cancer that it is amazing how much it can have grown and spread inside a person's body without them being in any way aware of it. In some cases the first symptoms that manifest themselves may unfortunately come at a very advanced stage where treatment is limited and the condition is terminal. 

I'm working firstly on paintings of cancers that have affected people who are very close to me. I am amazed by the complex nature of the disease and how colourful it appears in scans. It is also fascinating to see the way it spreads and grows within vital organs and with time how it overwhelms the healthy cells. 

In painting the cancers I use strong brush strokes to show the vibrancy and energy that is contained in cancer cells. There are intriguing interwoven patterns with an almost intricate celtic design revealed by the complex strands that spread through the organs and into other parts of the body. The other fascination of cancer is what it reveals of the people who are diagnosed. I have become aware of great qualities and strengths that have remained hidden within people until they have had to find courage and resilience to deal with the diagnosis of cancer. There is a perverse juxtaposition of the intriguing, frightening beauty of cancer cells and the beauty of the hidden courage and strength of people when faced with the diagnosis. Perhaps such diagnoses give us opportunities to strengthen relationships and bonds that would otherwise remain stagnant or dormant due to a lack of perception or energy.

In painting on the theme of cancer it gives me a new energy and realisation that the important things in life always need work and attention. Beauty and richness are there to be grasped once your eyes and ears are open to appreciate them all around you.           

In this painting I am working on cancer of the pituitary gland which is a vital organ that effects so much the workings of the body and the brain. Its strategic location within the brain gives a sense of how it is the mastergland and even the tiniest secretions of enzymes from this gland have vital roles to play in a healthy mind and body. The painting captures that role well as it looks like the rising sun which gives strength and energy to plants and animals. Unfortunately cancer attacks that healthy growth and energy flow leading to debilitating disease and infection. Fortunately it is good to know that is has been successfully treated in any of the people that I know who have been diagnosed with cancer of the pituitary gland. 

My main idea is to show how cancer weaves its way around vital organs and spreads rapidly to other organs and parts of the body. I do not wish to romanticise the condition but instead reveal its terrible, frightening beauty as it leaves me fearful that at some stage I may be dealing with one of these conditions myself. 

I am aware of the high success rates and the very effective treatment regimes that are put into operation when cancer is diagnosed. I know more people who have been successfully treated than people who have died as a result.

The research and development in the treatment of cancer gives great grounds for optimism but it is very hard to get away from the fear that immediately springs up when people get the dreaded cancer diagnosis. 

Painting this theme is an opportunity for me to get some information and come to terms with some of the cases and conditions that I have come in contact with.         

Colourful characters

One of the great pleasures and challenges is to capture the colour and expression in people that you meet, come across by accident or get the opportunity to observe from some quiet corner. On a recent trip with my family to Dingle in West Kerry I was wandering around the town enjoying the sunshine and the relaxed holiday mood when I spotted two men standing in an laneway observing the bustling street-life in the town centre. It is always interesting to have a good look at what people are doing, how they are dressed and what moods and interactions they show. Invariably I come across interesting characters and scenes that somehow capture particular aspects of everyday life and human behaviour. A lot of these scenes are not particularly significant or dramatic but yet they convey essential aspects of human nature which are the same the world over but depending on the clothes, age etc can capture a particular time or place very well.       

On this occasion I was lucky enough to be able to sit on a bench across the street and a short distance away from these two interesting characters and  I greatly enjoyed watching the interaction between them. It was clear that the man with the green jacket had a more casual relaxed attitude and yet continued to observe closely all the activity on the main street in front of them. The man with the dark blue suit and cap kept up an animated conversation with the big man in green and watched his face closely to get his full attention and react appropriately to his opinions and expressions. 

It reminded me of a scene from the film 'The Field' where the big man 'Bull McCabe' has the small simple character 'Bird O'Donnell' dancing to his whims and fancies. 

The big men in green was clearly a colourful character in his manner of dressing and expression while the smaller man in dark blue provided a perfect contrast to his relaxed easy manner. I greatly enjoyed  trying to capture this scene in a small painting with a lot of colour and light in the clothes and also strong facial expression to show how absorbed and engaged they were in their conversation and observation.   

The big man is in profile and is looking at the activity on the street rather than looking directly at his companion. The purpose of this positioning is to show his stronger personality and lack of need to impress his friend whereas the smaller man has a stooped position and is completely taken up with observing and engaging with his bigger companion.

I'm happy with the colour and expression in the painting as it captures well a typical scene in rural Ireland and it also shows the subtleties of small town relationships and interactions.         

Impressed by Bob Geldof

 I recently watched Bob Geldof being interviewed by Gay Byrne on RTE1 'For One Night Only'. I've been a fan of Bob Geldof for a long time and it was really interesting to see him almost 30 years on from his Band Aid and Live Aid work. He sang many fine songs,some old, some new, all showing an interesting history to the man and his music-making. 

In the conversation with Gay Byrne he was still outspoken and irreverant at times, which is part of his appeal but he also spoke with great honesty and depth about how hurt and affected he was by the break-up of his relationship with Paula Yeates.

My great admiration for him stems from his work to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian people suffering from famine in 1984. It was horrifying and shocking to watch how the world stood by while up to 8 million people were in danger of starving to death. Bob, an outpsoken, opinionated rock star at that stage, just shook people out of their apathy and complacency and made us realize that something had to be done. He did what he does best, play music and sing songs with lots more famous pop and rock stars, and through that generated a huge awareness and willingness to help the Ethiopian people.

It is ironic to realize almost 30 years on that almost exactly the same situation has arisen again in the same part of the world. Hopefully the response from governments, agencies and ordinary citizens will be quicker and more effective this time around.

I've been lucky enough to have worked in and visited Ethiopia a number of times in the last 30 years. I have many images in my head of the amazing landscape and the beautiful, gentle people of Ethiopia.  I decided that in tribute to Bob Geldof and his fantastic personality and work for the less well off that I would do a painting to celebrate the man and his work. I chose to paint a picture of a young Ethiopian boy, smiling and healhty walking along holding his father's hand. The idea is to show the positive side of life in Ethiopia and to show what can be achieved with well planned and well targetted development work. You can see only a small portion of the right hand of the father figure leading the young boy along. I see Bob Geldof as that father figure. 

Well done Bob.      

      

Sunny spells and scattered showers in West Kerry

                           

As a family we usually like to spend a few days in West Kerry during the summer. Having grown up on a farm in north Kerry I am well aware of the changing nature of an Irish summer and how unpredictable the weather can be. In any case we decided to head west and take our chances. We brought our swimming togs and the younger ones brought wet-suits so that the weather would not impinge on the enjoyment of the beach and the Atlantic.

We stay in a house very close to Ballyferriter, which about 8 miles west of Dingle. It is almost at the tip of the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula and is a fantastic place in terms of the beautiful rugged scenery and raw beauty of the western and southern coasts of Ireland. Ballyferriter (Baile an Fheirtéaraigh) is framed with the hulking backdrop of Cruach Mhartain - a rugged hill about 400 in height and it looks on to the famous 'Three Sisters' headland - so names for the three rugged promontries are constantly battered by the strong currents and crashing waves of the western Atlantic at their feet. 

Dominating this western peninsula and yet tucked into the north-western corner is Mt.Brandon, often shrouded in mist and fog but a magnificent sight on a clear day. It is a fantastic mountain to climb, weather permitting obviously, as it gives a breathtaking and panoramic view of the rugged West Kerry coastline with the Blasket Islands stretching the wild beauty of this famous peninsula into the ocean. 

While in Ballyferriter for the few days we got fleeting glimpses of this rugged beauty as we plunged into the bracing cold of the Atlantic waves on Béal Bán beach. I love swimming in this spot as it is safe and and gives fantasic views of the surrounding cliffs, rolling patchwork of fields, blue, white and green waves breaking onto the beach and majestic Mt.Brandon in the distance. The water was bracingly cold but once you get under the waves quickly and stay down you adapt to the temperatures in a short space of time. It is a great way to challenge the body that needs more regular exercise and it also refreshes the spirits as you feel that you are connecting back to nature in a natural and raw challenge of stamina and will against the cold but wonderfully refreshing Atlantic waters.  

The weather was typical for the area and time of year. 'Sunny spells and scattered showers' is a regular feature of the Irish weather forecast, and it lived up to that description. As we have visited this area many times the weather did not bother us in the least. We just got out and about and enjoyed it. The great pleasure of spending a good deal of time outdooors is that you get to enjoy the pleasant breaks in the cloud and the short sunny spells give you an opportunity to relish and appreciate that beautiful landscapes and seascapes. As a result of this trip I have many images in my head that I would like to paint. 

On our last day in Ballyferriter we drove around Slea Head - which is the most westerly tip of the Dingle (Corca Dhuibhne) peninsula - and just as we approached Ventry (Ceann Trá) on the far side, the clouds scatterd for a few minutes and the sun shone gloriously on a panoramic view of the south west coast. Directly across the water we got a view of the blue slopes of Carrantuathail - Ireland's highest mountain and the sandy beaches of Rossbeigh. The shone right out to the very westerly tip of that Iveragh peninsula so that we could clearly see the rocky coast of Valentia Island. Away out to sea from Valentia we could vaguely make out the shape of the Skellig Islands and when we followed the panorama around fully we could see Inisvickillane - the most southerly of the Blasket Islands - to complete the picture. It was a magical moment of sheer natural beauty which revealed itself for about 10 minutes and then tantalisingly disappeared into the fog and mist of the West Kerry summer again.

When I returned home I tried to quickly capture a piece of that magical panorama.                      

Capturing the moment

One of the great pleasures of art and painting is the oppportunity to capture a scene or a moment. On a recent journey to Mizen Head ( the most southerly point in Ireland) we passed through Dunmanway in West Cork. It is a sleepy small town in the Irish countryside. It is surrounded by rolling hills and is one of the gateways to the wild hills, craggy cliffs and rolling Atlantic Ocean of the more remote West Cork peninsulas. 

As we passed through this rolling countryside it was a pleasure to see the beautiful shadows and patches of sunshine created by the strong bright sunlight and sweep of the reflections of the clouds as they were blown across the skies.  As we came around a bend on the raod we came on a typical but beautiful scene in rural Ireland. Derelict farmhouses are a common sight, and beacuse I grew up on a farm, whenever I see an empty farmhouse it prods my imagination as to who lived in that house in bygone days and what their lives were like. 

There were beautiful colours on the hills with the rich purples and reds of the heathers. There was also a  great play of light and shadow in the clefts and hollows that unfolded as we drove along the road. My eye was taken with the old farmhouse, set back from the road that has an overgrown path leading to the front door. There was a lovely traditional, faded and tarnished yellow ochre wash on the walls and the house was perfectly set among beautiful tall beech trees that stood like sentries watching the front and back entrances.  The scene had the perfect backdrop of rolling hills behind the house which seemed to envelop and gently protect it. Added to this was the warm, rich,  russet and gold colours of late summer and early autumn crowning the tall, protective trees. 

This scene stayed in my mind over the last few days and it did not take long to capture it on canvas.

It is very interesting to see how working with different colours generates different reactions at different times of the year. Coming into late summer and early autumn there is a very pleasant feeling working with yellows, oranges, purples, reds and browns. It seems like I am responding to the rich autumnal palette and it gives great pleasure to capture the depth and strength of this season. Looking at these distinctly strong colours it gives a sense that nature is putting on a show of splendour before the bareness and bleakness of winter. 

It also gives a great sense of the ripeness and fruitfulness of nature at this time of year. I also get the feeling that the earth and nature is giving the message of power and strength, it may be going into a dormant period but it will be back with full colour and strength in a few months time.           

Catching the summer sunshine

It is difficult to predict, even during the summer, whether we will get sunny days or not. As a result it is important to be able to just get up and go on the days that the sun shines brightly or else be prepared to take whatever weather comes along and make the most of that.

Yesterday, 6 August turned out to be a very pleasant day for us. We have a young French student staying with us at present and we decided to go to Mizen Head with him. It was dull and wet in Cork city but we decided that we would go to Mizen in any case. To keep our optimistic side out we decided that we would take a picnic with us. 

It worked out brilliantly. Once we were 20 miles west of Cork city the sun broke through the clouds and for the rest of the day we had gorgeous weather. Mizen Head is the most southerly point in Ireland and as a result is on the tip of a remote peninsula. The journey there was really pleasant and Mizen proved to be a real winner. A new pedestrain bridge that links the head with the causeway had been opened the previous day and brilliant new walkways and viewing points had been constructed. 

There was a fantastic blow of fresh wind in from the Atlantic and there was beautiful bright sunshine to show the land and sea off at their very best. It was also fascinating to observe the patterns of light and shade created by the reflections of the clouds on the seawater below. West Cork has a beautiful rugged landscape and the fabulous purples and reds of the wild heather combined with the brilliant oranges and greens of the Mont Bretia flowers along the hedgerows showed it off to its very best. 

It was a real treat for all the senses, sight, sound, smell, touch. It would really recharge your batteries to experience such a beautiful day in such a fabulous location      

    

Gifting artwork to friends and relations

It is very tricky and difficult to know whether giving a painting as a gift to a friend or relation is suitable. I suppose that it depends on the occasion, the person and the type of painting that is given. 

In recent days on 2 different occasions I've given paintings to a friend and a relation as a meaningful gesture of friendship and support. As the artist I have a real sense that I am trying to do some meaningful and personal but I find it difficuly to guage whether I have hit the right note or not. In the case of my relation I got the sense that they were flattered, enjoyed and appreciated the gift but in the case of the friend I came away not sure if I had done the right thing or not. 

In any case it was well intentioned and I'm happy that I made the effort. As an artist I feel that any time I put a piece of art before a person to accept, buy, value or appreciate I am exposing an inner side of myself and it creates a vulnerability that would not arise otherwise. It takes a certain courage and confidence to do it but at the same time it creates opportunities for enjoyment and to make connections with people.