Ireland Portrayed: Cristín Leach in front of Rita Duffy's painting Segregation (1989)
In this four-part RTÉ lyric fm radio series, art critic Cristín Leach explores how ideas of Ireland and Irish identity have been visually represented over three hundred year.
Ireland Portrayed features interviews with Mary McCarthy, Director, and Dr Michael Waldron, Assistant Curator of Collections. The series includes several artworks from the collection and here is a helpful visual guide to them to aid your listening. The full series is available here.
Episode 1 – a nation’s story in art
John Butts, View of Cork from Audley Place, c.1750
John Butts, View of Cork from Audley Place, c.1750, oil on canvas, 72.5 x 120 cm. Presented, 2005.
Jonathan Fisher, Map of the Lakes of Killarney, 1789
Jonathan Fisher, Map of the Lakes of Killarney, 1789, aquatint on paper, 26 x 36 cm.
Jonathan Fisher, I (1st) view of Killarney. The lower lake, from the River Flesk, 1789
Jonathan Fisher, I (1st) view of Killarney. The lower lake, from the River Flesk, 1789, aquatint on paper, 26 x 36 cm.
Jonathan Fisher, XII (12th) view of Killarney. upper Lake, 1789
Jonathan Fisher, XII (12th) view of Killarney. upper Lake, 1789, aquatint on paper, 26 x 36 cm.
Nathaniel Grogan, Whipping the Herring out of Town - A Scene of Cork, c.1800
Nathaniel Grogan, Whipping the Herring out of Town - A Scene of Cork, c.1800, oil on panel, 25.5 x 29 cm. Purchased, 1992.
Episode 2 – Politics & Poverty
Daniel Macdonald, The Village Funeral
Daniel Macdonald, The Village Funeral - An Irish Family by a Graveside during the Great Famine, n.d., oil on canvas, 47.5 x 56 cm. Purchased, 2018.