Arcadia Ireland

We have finally acquired our new paintings for the Munster Room at the Dublin Center.

When walking through our neighbouring area of Cows Lane recently we discovered the work of Dublin born artist Eimear Brennan. Immediately her work spoke something to us. Eimear works in pen and ink and her paintings are inspired by nature, folklore, fairytale, mythology, anything magical, film, theatre and dance.  

The first piece is The Fairy Gathering. The fairies loved music and dancing and frolic; and above all things, to be let alone, and not to be interfered with as regarded their peculiar fairy habits, customs and pastimes. They had also, like the Irish, a fine sense of the right and just, and a warm love for the liberal hand and kindly word. 

The second piece we choose was a painting of Tír fa Tonn - or Land Beneath the Waves. In Irish mythology and folklore there were many names for this place. It was known as Tír Fa Tonn (Land beneath the Waves), Tír na nÓg (the Land of Youth), Mag Mell (the Plain of Delight) and Hy Breasil (Brasil’s Island). It was depicted as a place of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy. The flowers always bloomed and never died. There was no sorrow or pain here; love was eternal.

Both of these pieces are relevant to the co-curricular events we offer students. Each Semester we invite all students to participate in storytelling events around the Country. An evening of Fairies and Folklore takes us to a place where the magical land of the fairies is explored. The Irish word for storyteller is Seanchaí, meaning a bearer of “old lore” or “old thoughts”. The Storyteller provides students with words to engage their imagination, creating their own personal experience of Irish History and Folklore.