HomeIrish culture and heritage painting
A new painting, celebrating Irish culture, heritage and history in Belfast, was unveiled at Belfast City Hall on Thursday 24 June 2010.
The painting celebrates five people who have made a significant contribution to Irish culture and language, both in Belfast and beyond.
The five people featured are:
- Edward Bunting - musician and harp music collector, most renowned for transcribing music from oral-tradition harpists at the Belfast Harp Festival, including his 1840 collection, The Ancient Music of Ireland.
- John McKay - journalist with the Irish News and the Cork Examiner, and one of the seven founding members of the Gaelic Athletic Association for the preservation and cultivation of national pastimes.
- Alice Milligan - poet, playwright and member of the Gaelic League, a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival and publisher of the magazines The Northern Patriot and the Shan Van Vocht.
- Sean Maguire - fiddle player, musical innovator and teacher.
- Anna McCoy - champion Irish dancer and teacher.
Each of the portraits feature Drury’s signature style of overlaying and integrating text relating to each of the subjects into the work. Above the five portraits is the phrase ‘Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine’, while underneath them is the English translation, ‘It is in the shelter of each other that the people live’.
You can view the painting in City Hall from Monday - Thursday, 8.30am - 5pm and Fridays, 8.30am - 4.30pm. It's located in the east wing, in the corridor leading from the main City Hall reception to the Bobbin coffee shop.
Finished artwork
Below are some examples of local children's artwork used to create the piece along with some of the artist's sketches.Click on the thumbnails to view larger versions.
