The Emerald Isle

May 12, 2021

It was in 2018, when I was a wee lad of 55 years old, that I finally found my way to Ireland. I had been to England and Scotland much earlier, back in the middle 80's, but for one reason or another the Emerald Isle remained for me untrodden ground.

I finally got to rectify that in 2018. My wife Siobhan and I flew to Dublin in June to link up with her Aunt Breda and Uncle Colin. We stayed in an AirB&B that had a lovely breakfast nook that overlooked the River Liffey, and our mornings would start from this vantage point...having coffee and watching Dubliners make their way to work.

I knew that this trip, in addition to being an absolute joy due to the presence of my three travelling companions, would also surely provide great fodder and inspiration for future paintings.

Dublin, the river, and the many bridges that cross it became a topic for one such piece, "Dublin Nocturne".

That painting ultimately went on to be the cover of an edition of James Joyce's Dubliners, which I consider high validation of my efforts to capture the city.

It was on a subsequent stroll into the heart of the city, that I came across another sight that would ultimately make it to the easel. It was the beautiful pond and pavillion in St. Stephen's Green.

I got to see it in the full flower of summer, but for some reason when I painted it, my moody and grim personality made me convert it to a winter scene. I even researched Irish weather to make sure Dublin does in fact get snow, which it can, though rarely. Here is "Snow on St. Stephen's Green".

Colin in the Brazen Head Pub in Dublin, which dates back to A.D. 1198

After three days and nights of sightseeing, pub dinners, and more than a pint or two of Guinness, we headed west to the other side of the country and set up shop in Galway on the west coast.

Galway would serve as our base of operations to explore the west coast of Ireland.

Siobhan found a spot above the River Corrib to scatter some of her dad's ashes, as his family lineage is Irish.

We also headed out to see the stunning Cliffs of Moher. Our waiter the previous night (absolutely delightful man, as were all the people we met in Ireland) had warned us, that even if you set out on a clear day towards the cliffs, within 10 minutes of arrival you could easily hit fog that will render them invisible. Fortunately for us, that wouldn't be the case. The day, and the views, were spectacular.

Incredible as the cliffs were, a was our trip out the next day that would ultimately leave the deepest impression on me. We drove a circuit through Connemara National Park, and there we saw quintessential Ireland in all its rugged glory.

Each turn in the road seemingly produced another jaw-dropping vista of green hills, stone walls, inlets, and lonely white-washed cottages.

Connemara is one of those places that truly gets into your soul. I could imagine the psychic push-pull that must go with living there...the desire to escape the relentless gloom, off-set by the cosy, homey comfort of the stone cottages and tiny hamlets clustered in the hills.

It was with thoughts of this in mind that I created the third piece to come out of my Ireland trip, simply titled "Connemara", my attempt, however humble, to capture the essence of that land on a single canvas.