Art history repeats itself as Clare takes top prize

CO CLARE has taken the top prize in Ireland's premier young people's art competition for the second year in a row.

Lucy Carragher (17), a pupil from St Anne's College in Killaloe, won the first prize of €2,000 in category A (16-18-year-olds) for her painting, Self Portrait.

"She produced an intense portrait painting in which every inch of the surface is active and alive with brushmarks and paint," competition judge and chair of art and design at the University of Ulster, Prof Declan McGonagle, said.

The 21 top prize-winners in seven categories, chosen from 32,000 entries, were announced at the Hugh Lane Gallery yesterday.

"Her [Ms Carragher's] achievement in winning the top prize this year has helped maintain the very high standard set by Clare students in the competition" Chevron (Ireland) Limited's Enda Riney said.

Ms Carragher had entered the competition previously and won special merit awards three times.

There was a 21 per cent increase in the number of entrants from Co Clare this year to 754 after last year's win in category A by Cillian Boyd from Ennis.

"The very advanced levels of style and composition shown by winners in the senior age groups show how the competition has become a springboard for students planning future careers in art," Mr McGonagle said.

It was also the second year a student from Wexford won Category B (14-15 years). Ronan Bradbury (15), from Gorey Community School in Co Wexford, won the €400 second prize for his painting The Wasp.

"The wide cultural diversity present amongst our young population is something which bodes well for the future of the competition," Mr McGonagle said, praising parents and teachers for encouraging young people's appreciation of art.

Doctor?was the title of the winning piece by Lara Darby (13), from Seacourt Print Workshop, Bangor, Co Down, in Category C (12-13 years).

Ashley Ughovwa's work, The Abandoned Tractor, won the 11-year-old from Presentation Senior School, Mullingar, a prize of €200 in Category D (9-11 years).

The youngest first prize winners were Rebecca Murphy (8), from Holy Cross Mercy School in Killarney, for her colourful study The Hungry Toucanand Colleen Clarke (6), from Co Down, for her entry Waterfall River.

A dramatic entry called Dolphins Rise at Sunsetby Glenn Barry (15), from St Mary's Special School, Rochestown, Co Cork, won the special needs category for children of all ages.

This is the 54th year of the Texaco Children's Art Competition.

Previous winners include artists Robert Ballagh, Graham Knuttel, Dorothy Cross, fashion designer Paul Costelloe, Ictu general secretary David Begg, former Labour Party leader Ruairí Quinn and communications consultant Terry Prone.