Throughout the summer, hundreds of visitors from all over the country have enjoyed the unique opportunity of seeing the work of renowned artist Hughie O’Donoghue displayed in his beloved Erris. The collection of works, titled ‘Erris Retrospect’, is displayed in Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet. In ‘The Irish Times’, Elizabeth Birdthistle regarded it as one of the top 13 exhibitions to see in Ireland this summer.
To celebrate theextraordinary success of this summer’s exhibition in Belmullet, O’Donoghue will be returning to the Erris Arts Centre on Tuesday, August 22, to give a talk about his art which has been inspired by the landscape of Erris, a place that has been present in his work for many years. O’Donoghue says, “The theme of identity runs through all of the works in this exhibition, a preoccupation I perceived in my mother and her yearly need to return ‘home’ from her new life in Manchester. I grew up in South Manchester but it was impressed upon me that this was not my real or authentic place of origin, that there was a previous more fundamental well spring, one that I was brought back to year after year.”
Known for the epic scale of his paintings, O’Donoghue was born in Manchester to Irish parents and spent many of his summer holidays in Bangor Erris, with his mother’s family. The artist has been exhibiting internationally, in solo and group exhibitions, for more than 40 years, and has gained a reputation as one of the leading painters of his generation. His incredible work has been displayed in arts centres, museums and universities in cities all over the world, including Belfast, London, Paris, Munich, Prague, Boston, Ljubljana, Adelaide, Berkeley, Beijing, Shanghai, and Honolulu.
O’Donoghue’s presentation is an exclusive opportunity to meet the artist up close and to hear about his work in his own words. The staff of Áras Inis Gluaire are very proud to host ‘Erris Retrospect’. Artistic Director, Deirbhle Healy, said, “We thoroughly enjoyed having an artist of Hughie’s calibre display his work here. We have been blown away by the amount of people who have come through the doors, from all over Ireland and, indeed, from further afield. As the exhibition comes to an end soon, we know that we will be welcoming a lot more people to come and see this prestigious collection of artworks. We are very grateful that Hughie will be returning to give a talk about his work – this is an exceptional opportunity, not only for art enthusiasts but for anyone who has a connection with Erris.”
Commenting on the Erris Arts Centre, O’Donoghue said, “Áras Inis Gluaire is a powerful asset for the community of Erris and a vital space for exhibiting the work of artists both local and international. I am delighted to be exhibiting here this summer.”
‘Hughie O’Donoghue: Erris Retrospect’ will exhibit until the end of August, and O’Donoghue’s talk will take place on Tuesday, 22 August, at 7pm. For more details, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 097 81079. Info can be found on www.arasinisgluaire.ie and on the social media channels of Áras Inis Gluaire – Facebook and Instagram.
(photo credit to Visual Artists Ireland)