images of ireland

An original artwork inspired by great weekends in Kinsale, the second best town in all of Ireland. To this artist, The Spaniard is the very best pub in all of Ireland, with The Bulman, a little further down the road, a close second.

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the harbour town of Old Kinsale, you can have craic like there's no tomorrow without even leaving this heavenly spot. Crowds gather outside on a nice summer's day, get to know each other and enjoy each other's company. Step inside later at night, gather round the fire and sing along with some of the best traditional Irish music in the land.

The painting shows off the contrasting colours seen in cottages and pubs in small towns and villages throughout Ireland. As with the whole collection, the roads and contours are slightly off true perspective, in keeping with the dreamlike theme.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

A man rests while his patient friend looks on with curiosity. This is not really a rest for the man, but more of an opportunity to keep life from moving too fast for him. A time to gain perspective. Whether he likes it or not, his friend will just have to wait until that happens.

This part of Ireland is well known to the artist. Back in the day, a hitchhiker heading for the fun haven of Kinsale faced the longest part of the journey after leaving Cork City. Getting a lift to Cork from Dublin was never too difficult, but the last twenty or so miles to Kinsale always proved the most challenging. It was always so worth the journey.

The roads and contours are slightly off true perspective, in keeping with the dreamlike theme that runs through the collection.

Original oil on canvas, 20 × 16 in

It's lunch time and the youngsters are out running about while life goes on outside the school yard walls. A few stories, a bit of football and maybe a street game is organised before the sound of the school bell ends the glee and signals a return to times tables, sums, spelling and Gaelic composition.

The playground at an Irish school was a particularly fun place to be as a kid. If you didn't have a football between you and your friends, you might play marbles or, as you got older, even cards. You had to hide the deck from the teachers, as any game of chance with your lunch money at stake was strictly forbidden, which only made it more interesting.

The painting shows how the sheltered life of school-age children contrasts with the grown-up world outside. As children we aspire to be like the grown-ups with their cars and fancy clothes, yet as adults we look back at those days as the times when we were truly free.

Original oil on canvas, 20 × 16 in

A wonderful part of Irish culture is always having the time to stop and have a chat with a friend, an acquaintance, or even a total stranger. Time passes slowly in Ireland, and that is neither by design nor intention. It is just a consequence of being Irish.

This artwork was inspired by summer holidays in Lisfannon, Buncrana and the Old Mountain in County Donegal, where my mother's side of the family is from. Standing in view of the Celtic cross at Carndonagh, a farmer stops to see if he can make some headway with a local lass. It could be just a chat, or the start of a courtship. Either way, the donkey is in no hurry to get back to moving the milk urns around.

The painting shows off the thatched roofs and white stone walls of cottages in small towns and villages throughout Ireland.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

An original artwork inspired by the stories of the hard-working farmers of Ireland. Donegal is the northernmost, and some say the most beautiful, county in Ireland.

Digging turf for the long winter nights to come can be back-breaking work, so a well-deserved rest, a cuppa, a bite to eat and a time-suspending gaze over Lough Swilly is only proper order. Bogs are found throughout Ireland, and the turf they yield burns softer and warmer than coal or timber. This young farmer is lucky enough to have some in his own back garden, and he'll toil day in and day out until he has enough to get his family through the winter.

His best friend is looking on, eagerly hoping for a few scraps from his master's lunch. All the transportation the family needs takes the form of a bicycle leaning against the wall.

Original oil on canvas, 20 × 16 in

As good dreams go, this one paints a happy memory of playing near the farm on a summer holiday in County Donegal. Trying to catch a swift and clever perch in the cool spring waters in summertime holds a good deal more entertainment value than many of today's contemporary pursuits.

The young lad in the stream is a dear cousin from the Old Mountain, near Buncrana. The even younger lad standing in amazement on the sidelines is none other than myself. As a city lad from the north side of Dublin, I was sent by my Ma to spend summers in the countryside with her side of the family.

Though I fought it at first, I'm so glad I went. I saw the chickens lay eggs every morning and the cows give milk every day. I remember my older cousin taking me out into the hills at night to try to shoot rabbits for the next day's dinner. But most of all, I got to see my cousin Raymond catch a perch with his bare hands. Now there's a thing to bring back to my mates in Dublin after the summer.

Original oil on canvas, 20 × 16 in

The Irish are no strangers to hard work. There are fields to be ploughed, cows to be milked, sheep to be sheared and pigs to be fed. But eventually it becomes time to sit back, read the paper and talk about the day that was in it.

Beare Island is in the Atlantic, just off the coast of County Cork in the south of Ireland. It is my Da's birthplace, and the artwork is dedicated to him. Don't look for the Beare Island Inn if you go there, as it is just a pub I imagine would fit in well. Outside, a couple of the local lads are doing what the Irish do so well, enjoying the warm weather and the fresh sea air.

That only works because here, as in most of Ireland, nobody minds if you take your pint outside.

Original oil on canvas, 20 × 16 in

Howth Harbour is a beautiful fishing port in the north of Dublin. Fresh air and a stretch of the legs on Howth Pier on a sunny day, with Ireland's Eye in full view, is like no other walk you can take. While brightly coloured boats bob with the ebbing tide, a seagull floats on the strong winds blowing in from the Irish Sea.

Many of the local pubs and restaurants get their daily catch from the small fleets of fishing boats that sail out every morning before most of the country is awake. Ireland sits on the Continental Shelf, in some of the best fishing grounds in the world, with cod, halibut, hake and haddock offshore and some of the best salmon anywhere in the rivers.

Sunny skies, though somewhat of a stranger to much of Ireland for much of the year, have an uncanny ability to turn the land into a magical place for any youngster on the long summer evenings.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

County Mayo is in the west of Ireland and juts right out into the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful as the land is, the hills can take their toll on weary travellers. It is quite common to see even a young lad or lass walk the bike up a steep hill. The dog will get there eventually, and the farmer can see there is a nice fire waiting at home.

Hand-laid stone walls can be seen throughout the Irish countryside, especially in the west. They mark property boundaries and keep cattle and sheep where they belong, allowing grazing areas to rotate and the soil to be preserved. Each stone was purpose-fit for a particular spot, and despite the absence of mortar, these walls have stood for centuries and will likely stand long after we are all gone.

The painting shows the contrasting colours of thatched cottages in small towns and villages throughout Ireland.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

An artwork inspired by a trip to the Cliffs of Moher. County Clare is on the Atlantic coast, in the west of Ireland. She watches from above as her true love sails the full breadth of the Atlantic Ocean, or so it must seem to her. While he will only be gone for the day, she worries as all women do about the safety of their fella.

The west coast of Ireland has some of the wildest weather in the country. The great Atlantic batters the coastline while the clouds bring sheets of rain, and even snow and sleet at times, and that is without a storm on the horizon.

Ancient monasteries, castles and towers like the one in the painting are echoes of a long-gone era, still standing for the wonder of generations to come.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

Quiet time in one of the great old pubs of Ireland. No television. No game. No visual or other noise to fill the beautiful silence. Just a pint, a paper and possibly some quiet conversation from the publican or a stranger who sits nearby seeking a similar, graceful solitude. Mulligan's, O'Donoghue's, The Spaniard: in Ireland there's no shortage of heaven on earth.

One of the best things about Irish culture is the healthy respect you are given in the absence of any knowledge of who you are. A doctor can sit on a stool in a pub and chat with a farmer for hours while the publican serves them both. No one cares what you do for a living as much as what kind of person you are. What matters is the story, the point of view, the humour and the laughing.

The painting shows how a simple life can be more fulfilling than the noise and distraction of modern life. Nothing is more interesting than to sit and listen to another tell their story, and for you to tell yours.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

Strong, silent, hard-working and patient, this beautiful beast of burden from the west of Ireland can teach us all a bit about how to carry ourselves. You see this gentle sort around the farms and fields of Ireland, reflecting a culture where a day of hard work in God's fresh air brought a well-deserved and sound night's sleep.

The Irish are no strangers to hard work. There are fields to be ploughed, cows to be milked, sheep to be sheared and pigs to be fed. This fella is just the one to help you get it all done. He'll carry a full bale of hay on his bare back, or pull two if you give him a cart. Rain or shine, he doesn't mind. Feed him now and again, give him shelter when the weather is bad, and you'll have a hard-working friend forever.

Original oil on canvas, 16 × 20 in

An original artwork inspired by Carrickfergus, a classic Irish folk ballad. There are so many world-famous Irish ballads it would be impossible to hear them all in a single day, but for my money Carrickfergus is one of the best ever.

To best explain the artwork, one simply needs to listen to the first verse of the song, with its wide sea, a love far away and the wish for a handsome boatman to ferry the singer over.

This painting departs from the rest of the collection in its principal colours and its theme. It is based on my interpretation of the lyrics to one of Ireland's most famous ballads, and not on a direct experience of my own.

Original oil on canvas, 20 × 16 in