Hamilton Gallery countdown to our St Brigid’s Day exhibition at 12 Star Gallery, Europe House London, is underway.

The exhibition will open to the public from January 23rd and run until February 1st, St Brigid’s Day, and it is part of the Irish Embassy in London’s St Brigid’s Day Celebration of Women and creativity.

In the run up to our opening night in London we bring you a daily blog with a selection of the 90 works by Irish women artists that will be shown at the exhibition.

We will include interviews and insights from the artists involved as well as other news and developments relating to events at the 12 Star Gallery in London which will occur in compliment to the exhibition.

Tonight our artists are Carolyn Mulholland, Coby Moore, Zoë Murdoch, Jay Murphy and Vivien Murray.

We also include the poem “Megan Fair Remembered“ by Leland Bardwell. Leland’s poem “St Brigid’s Day 1989” was circulated to all participating artists as the thematic inspiration for the exhibition.

Carolyn Mullholland

I was born in Lurgan, Co. Armagh on 1st February 1944.  During and after Belfast College of Art I lived from my work.  I moved to Dublin in 1991 and thanks to the support of Arts Councils, North and South, I continue to work in bronze, stone and glass.

Leland Bardwell’s poem nudged me beyond Christianity far into he past.  The celebration of the arrival of the ‘first light’ – is as on as we are.

Zoë Murdoch Born and lives in Belfast.   She is currently based at Lawrence Street Workshops. In 2012 she was elected as an Associate Academician of the Royal Ulster Academy. 

“Inspired by the Leland Bardwell poem ‘St. Brigid’s Day 1989’ 'The Reaping' illustrates my vision of a coven of witches gathering reeds, in their own distorted way, in a mysterious otherworldly place.” 

Jay Murphy was born in Dublin in 1952. She studied at the Dun Laoghaire School of Art and the Central School in London. She travelled in Switzerland and Bavaria before returning to Ireland to live in Connemara. She is a founder member of Fioruisce and of Western Artists.

She has illustrated a number of books, notably Gonella and Litany for the Pig by Eva Bourke.

Vivien Murray was born in Sydney, Australia part of the post-war baby boom. In the 70's married an Irishman and has lived in Sligo since then. Reared her children here and as a mature student studied Fine Art at Sligo IT.

 I visualised the poet at home looking out her window across the water waiting for her women friends to call with the reeds to make the crosses and celebrate St Brigid's Day.