Made with Xara

Design based on geometric patterns

found on bone slips from cairn H ,

Loughcrew County Meath Ireland

I spent my childhood in Oldcastle County Meath. The local Loughcrew Megalithic passage graves have had a profound affect on my life and my art. It is a very powerful ancient burial site with the main cairn (cairn T ) aligned to the Autumn equinox. Excavations in another cairn (cairn H ) revealed hundreds of trial bone slips many of which had geometric patterns scribed into their surface. These I presume were the design templates of a master craftsman / metalworker and they would have been used on fine metalwork like jewellery and armour. They also show a great understanding of mathematics and geometry and date to 100 AD. approx. I have been fascinated with them for years and recently made my first interpretation in wood . I tried to imagine how the craftsmen would raise or emboss the shapes and 2 abstract dancers appeared. I thought the result was too beautiful to leave as a single art piece so I decided to make a mould of it with my friend Stuie of Stuart Gibbs Pottery and Sculpture, Cavan. We have produced a limited edition of 50 casts in stoneware and the moulds have been destroyed. They are wall pieces and fix to a single screw in the wall. “Equinox Dancers “is the first of a series of limited editions I am working on based on the ancient geometric bone designs from Cairn H, Loughcrew , Oldcastle , County Meath, Ireland. If you get the chance climb these hills and experience the beauty and magic of Loughcrew. A sacred place. Dimensions : Height ,37cm , Width ,15.5cm, Depth , 5cm , Weight 1,150 g

€150.00 + p&p

“ Sinnan” ( Shannon )

In Irish folklore the river Shannon gets its name from Sinnan the granddaughter of Lir, Irish god of the sea. She went to Connla's Well (near present day Blacklion in County Cavan ) to seek the salmon who ate nuts that fell from the nine sacred hazel trees that surrounded the well. Sinnan had everything ,beauty ,brains, wealth, power. What she did not possess were the privileges of men as women were forbidden to visit the well or eat the flesh of the salmon. Some versions of the legend tell of Sinnan sneaking to the banks of the well , catching and eating a salmon. When she finished the well burst open consuming and drowning Sinnan carrying her out to the Atlantic Ocean. This caused the birth of the river and symbolises Sinnan being the Goddess of the river, her essence in every drop. This sculpture is carved from a substantial piece of“Bog Oak”. Ancient trees that were consumed by peat bogs, 6-7,000 years ago. The bogs preserved the wood as the bog soil is very rich in tannin a natural preservative, also the temperature below ground only fluctuates an average of 2-3 degrees through a calender year. The bog wood takes on the colours of the soil hence the dark brown / black colour. The sculpture is also triple gilded with 23 3/4 ct. gold leaf Dimensions : Height 143cm , Width 53cm, Depth 17cm , Weight 32.5 Kg

€4,000 Free delivery to anywhere in

Ireland

RORY GALLAGHER

A few years ago my friend Daragh Slacke who is a very talented musician asked me if I ever considered doing a carving of Rory Gallagher. He then asked if I did would I make a video of it as he had written a blues tune as a tribute to Rory. As a teenager I attempted to paint all the rock Gods including Rory Gallagher who I had the good fortune of seeing play live in Dublin in1984. Acoustic or electric Rory Gallagher was one of the greatest guitarists of all time. This is our tribute to him. I got instrument maker / musician Fintan McManus to put real guitar fret wire on the carved neck of the guitar. Fintan is actually an uncle of another Irish guitar legend Pat McManus of Mamma’s Boys. Dimensions : Height 45.5cm , Width 28.7cm, Depth 3.5cm Weight 198g Wood : Lime