Across Three Decades

Medb Ruane previews landscape artist Gwen O Dowd’s retrospective at Hillsboro Fine Art Gallery, Dublin from mid March to April

 

Arctic circus
Prompted by her recent stay in Norway, references to local legend have introduced new elements to Rita Duffy’s practice, writes Riann Coulter ahead of Duffy’s exhibition at the F E McWilliam Gallery & Studio in Co Down

 

Mirror of the city
Peter Pearson’s views of Dublin at the James Joyce Centre in April, inventively capture the decay and splendour of the capital, writes Isabella Evangelisti

 

Kings of the Tides
The maritime history of Cork and Belfast as captured by artists from the 18th to the 20th centuries is the focus of an exhibition at the headquarters of Belfast Harbour, writes Marianne O’Kane Boal

 

Fish, Flesh and Fowl
Is Dermot Seymour’s work a surreal commentary on a troubled political environment or does he simply document the visual facts? Brian McAvera investigates as Seymour’s retrospective tours a number of venues at home and abroad. Click here to read the article

 

Everyday heroes
Peter Murray examines the career of Cork-born artist Michael Quane whose sculpture groups challenge the typical bombast of the equestrian memorial to honour the anonymous citizen

 

Urban warriors
From the terse political statements associated with mural painting to the recent upsurge in sanctioned street art, Silvia Loeffler explores the popular phenomenon of street artists

 

The land behind the sea
On a recent visit to Dublin from his adopted home in Munich James O'Connor met Seán Ó Mordha to discuss the influence of German culture on his work

 

Craig’s country
In an excerpt from Maurice Craig’s recently published photographs Rolf Loeber pays tribute to the honorary Dubliner who documented Ireland’s built heritage from the curious to architecture of enduring value

 

Painters on the Margins
Tom Dunne traces European influences and personal developments in the oeuvre of John Butts and his pupil Nathaniel Grogan, joint subjects of a major exhibition at the Crawford Art Gallery Cork

 

The Prodigal Son restored
Muirne Lydon provides a fascinating glimpse into the creative process of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo as the Spanish master’s series on the Prodigal Son undergoes restoration at the National Gallery of Ireland

 

Poetic licence
Peter Murray recalls the visit to Ireland in 1812 of Lady Caroline Lamb who used the occasion to gather material for her semi-autobiographical novel Glenarvon

 

The depiction of eviction
Mic Moroney reviews a new study from historian L Perry Curtis that examines contemporary media portrayal of rural evictions in the Famine years and beyond

 

A collector’s passion
Philip McEvansoneya focuses on the collecting acumen of Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt who played a guiding role in the service of the National Gallery of Ireland and the newly instituted National Museum

 

Building a library
On the eve of its tercentenary in May, bibliophile and former keeper Charles Benson looks at the renowned collection of the Old Library, Trinity College Dublin

 

Belfast’s new MAC
Paul Harron welcomes the smart design of the MAC, a vital cultural addition to Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter

 

The art of batik
James Hanley previews Bernadette Madden’s painterly landscapes executed in batik at the Gordon Gallery, Derry in March

 

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