Aine Art,Killashee

Every June as children we walked down the old bog road.Roads that in years gone by echoed to the soft clippety clop of horses hooves,and the trundle of cart wheels,or the soft whirr of bicycles as the turf cutters came and went all Summer long.This work is older than the nation older than any of us know.The Celts made sacrifices to the bogs,to the gods, and bodies have been found preserved like leather in the peat.Men and women mummified in the black thick mass. We searched the hedges on our way for wild duck eggs much to the annoyance of the adult ducks. We had a connection with this place, for it was where our Father and our neighbour cut the sods. They were expert in the use of the slean, and heaped the sods up on the bank for us children to foot. It was hard work but on a sunny day we enjoyed the fresh air, and calling across the bog to our childhood friends who were given the same task. To foot the turf about a dozen sods were stacked up to form a peak, and the wind dried it out...

Kerry has long been recognised as a holiday destination for tourists and the home market alike. Wild and mountainous,still referred to as The Kingdom, because of its fierce independance from Central Government,has some of Irelands finest scenery,and beautifull beaches.Beyond the far west coast of Kerry lies the Great Blasket Island.Beautifull,desolate,and surrounded by wild seas, it was once home to a small but fiercely independant community of people whose medieval way of life had long vanished from the Irish mainland.They spoke a lost, pure form of Gaelic,and told tales of ancient times by the light of their turf fires.Writers and romantics were drawn there spellbound by the rugged surroundings and the determination of its inhabitants.The way of life could not last,back breaking work,difficult weather,and near starvation finally drove them to the mainland and abroad,and the Island was finally abandoned in 1953. Killarney was always a prosperous town with thousands of tourists flock...

Ah sure you cant beat it a day in the bog was my fathers refrain, all that fresh air and hard work sure its mighty altogether, we children did not think so and had mixed feelings about going to the bog.Although May was the preferred month for turf cutting,there was plenty of work to be done in June.The turf was cut manually . It took longer to dry for two reasons,firstly it wasnt pressed so held more moisture.Secondly the sods were bigger than machine cut so took longer to dry.After being cut they were drawn out in barrows. They were then left drying on the ground. Our family spent many hours back bending to spread out the sods.After a time the turf was footed.The traditional method was to balance sods against one another until each grogeen contained around a dozen pieces.The other method was box footing,this involved laying two sods flat and then putting pairs on top of them at right angles until there were twelve or fourteen sods in the grogeen. Opinions differed as to which was...

Hi All I was born in Dublin and reared in Co.Meath beside the beautifull Boyne Valley.I am mostly self taught . I was educated in Kilcock,Co.Kildare where I had an excellent Art Teacher who encouraged me to persue my artistic talents.I entered several competitions and had considerable success.The bug had bitten. After the Leaving Cert. I entered the Civil Service and attended the National College of Art at night.My work is known nationally and have sold numerous works abroad. My subject matter includes landscapes, seascapes,nature and still life. In 2015 with my partner Pat and 3 beloved dogs moved to Killashee,Co.Longford where I have my own studio.Like other artists I have been held spellbound by the beauty of Longford.The lakelands, waterways,boglands and farmlands provide plenty of scenes for the artist to capture.My paintings are inspired by the West of Ireland artist Paul Henry whose strong and vibrant colours create exciting skylines,rolling fields and pasture,majestic moun...

Hi all, Aine Art will be at the Longford Country Show and Fair on Sunday 1st July. Hope the lovely weather will continue and hugh crowds will attend. I am looking forward to meeting the other artists and crafters and having fun. Art and Animals my idea of heaven, see you there.