LAST Tuesday night the George Moore Society's Famine exhibition finally arrived in Dublin after its original kick-off in Mayo's, Claremorris. However, you could be forgiven for thinking that it had never left the West at all, as so many of the guests were from that neck of the woods. From the President, Mrs Robinson, to Michael Farrell and Michael Morley of the North Connacht Farmers, and the TnaG crew, the Gaeltacht was out in force.
Artist Sean McSweeney was also at the opening with his family, wife Sheila, who was very influential setting up the Model Arts Centre in Sligo and recently left it "in younger hands", and daughter Orna McSweeney, who works in the RHA and was busy hanging the final year show for NCAD, where her brother Tadhg is studying.
Deep in conversation with Sean McSweeney was artist Catherine Delaney, who had a piece in the exhibition and is currently working on a major project for Kilkenny Arts Week.
Artist Michael Farrell came over from Paris to see the work he produced for the Hopstore show hung, and revealed that famine has become a theme in more of his recent work. Brian Henderson, just back from New York, chatted about his show in the Jo Rain Gallery in Temple Bar this summer, while Janet Mullarney talked of her recent exhibition in the Temple Bar Gallery.
Barrie Cooke, Brian Bourke and his brother Fergus Bourke, Charles Tyrell, Scottish artist William Crozier and Hughie O'Donoghue all exhibited and came along to enjoy the opening and the pints in the bar afterwards, where they were joined by George Moore Society chairwoman Dr Patricia Noone; committee member Anthony Cronin; novelist Anne Haverty and Pat Taylor of Taylor Galleries.