Artist and art teacher Áine Andrews returns with another series of lectures on Famous Paintings and their Hidden Histories. For the fifth installment of this six part lecture series, Áine will focus on Self Portrait, by Gwen John, recounting its history, as well as that of the artist and her story.

With her hair parted in the middle the artist’s gaze is direct but withdrawn as if holding the secret of her inner life intact. The painting glows from within like a dark room lit only by firelight. A brown shawl is half-slipping off her shoulders: a brilliant device that adds movement.

MFA Graduate Exhibition

Elana Morchower

Karen St Pierre

Sarah Vandermeer

April 11-24, 2026

Opening Reception | April 11 | 6:00-8:00pm

Opening Remarks at 6:45 by Ruby Wallis

Through diverse mediums, (UN)EARTHED: through air, tied to each other explores ideas of nonlinearity and dreamspaces in a world marked by environmental change, displacement, and eroding certainties. With disorientation as an underlying theme, these artists suggest that entanglement is found not in fixed roots, but in the shared exposure of continuous (un)earthing.

Exhibition continues from 07/02/2026 to 04/04/2026.

This exhibition is a celebration of Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon’s Academy Award®-nominated modern animated classics which comprise the Folklore Trilogy.
The exhibition presents a selection of pivotal scenes from all three films, demonstrating the unique visual style and exquisitely handcrafted animation which has garnered the studio international acclaim and multiple awards.

Mid-Term Family screenings of all three films will take place from Monday 16 February, and illustration and activity packs, developed by The Ark and suitable for ages 8 – 12 years are available to download for use at home or in the Classroom.

Exhibition continues from 30/01/2026 to 05/04/2026.

This is the last iteration of the exhibition, Clann Miotlantach / Mythlantics following its presentation at Sirius Arts Centre, Galway Arts Centre, and Highlanes Gallery.

Alice explores expressions of both personal and broader historical and cultural narratives informed by their lived experience as a person with Irish and Sierra Leonean heritage. They practice across sculpture, expanded painting, digital collage, film, and performance, and use clay, found and collected images and objects, reclaimed and repurposed furniture, and memorabilia and heirlooms.

Bare is an intimate, immersive theatre experience that invites audiences into a living gallery of human vulnerability. Set within a museum-style space, the production presents a collection of “live exhibits” — individuals suspended in moments of emotional and psychological exposure. Each character stands at a crossroads, grappling with private struggles, inner conflicts, and the quiet battles that shape their lives. There is no fourth wall here. Instead, the audience steps inside the world of the piece, moving through the space as witnesses to raw, unfiltered humanity.

Artist and art teacher Áine Andrews returns with another series of lectures on Famous Paintings and their Hidden Histories. For the fifth installment of this six part lecture series, Áine will focus on Self Portrait, by Gwen John, recounting its history, as well as that of the artist and her story.

With her hair parted in the middle the artist’s gaze is direct but withdrawn as if holding the secret of her inner life intact. The painting glows from within like a dark room lit only by firelight. A brown shawl is half-slipping off her shoulders: a brilliant device that adds movement.

Exhibition continues from 19/03/2026 to 08/04/2026.

Visual artist Grace Roberts, based in Clare, will open her latest exhibition, In Honour of Sarah ii, at Nenagh Arts Centre on Thursday 19 March at 6pm. The exhibition is dedicated to Roberts’ mother, Sarah, whose Limerick antique shop filled the artist’s childhood with objects, paintings and stories that continue to influence her work today.
Working in mixed media & encaustic, the paintings are a layered reflection on what we inherit, what we shed, and what we become.
The exhibition runs until 8th April 2026. Entry is free.

Limerick Ceramic Artists are a network of ceramic artists working in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary. They have presented an annual exhibition of contemporary ceramics in Limerick since 2011 and this year present an exhibition in the Foyer of Limerick School of Art and Design, Clare Street to celebrate their 15th year.
The makers, many of whom are graduates of LSAD, present a wide range of ceramic practice.
The exhibition runs each day from 9.00am – 6.00pm, from 10.00am – 5.00pm on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays and Easter Monday.

‍An exhibition of paintings by Kilkenny based artist George Vaughan.

George Vaughan is a respected painter and educator who has been making paintings for over forty years. This collection of abstract expressionist paintings marks an important step forward in Vaughan’s output. These works possess a spontaneity and fluidity of movement that breaks away from any kind of rigid categorisation. Vaughan continues to investigate the complexities of space that painting alone is able to conjure, drawing on the tension between organic and inorganic forms.

O’Connell’s sculptural work often evokes states of becoming and transformation, reflecting her long-standing fascination between the organic and geometric in the natural world. This way of working melds irregularity and flow to the precise and mathematical, emblematic of a human relationship to nature.

Her attentive process is of happenstance: a responsiveness to a materials behaviour and chance occurrences that are worked through and feel not imposed but discovered. Through careful observation of the everyday landscape in her Cork home, O’Connell’s practice instills curiosity and an unexpected sense of discovery and awareness.

Exhibition continues from 14/03/2026 to 12/04/2026.

Contemporary Irish painter Rebecca Peart’s solo exhibition, ‘Mariner’, shows new work from 14 March until 12 April. Invoking the intrepid mariners of yesteryear setting out to discover new worlds, Peart’s painting Sail leads the viewer into the exhibition and through her mind’s eye yielding colourful emotive abstracts. Colour hues scale from whispering landscapes to heightened tones at sea; her paintings conjure abstract compositions travelling through longitudes of time and space, a nautical journey between lands. Rebecca has drawn inspiration from Kerry since childhood and has exhibited extensively in Dublin, London and New York.

‘Art in Motion’ Exhibition to Open at Baile Mhuire Day Centre.

Tralee Art Group is delighted to announce their latest collaborative exhibition, ‘Art in Motion’, which will be officially opened on Tuesday, June 17th at 2.30pm at Baile Mhuire Day Centre, Balloonagh, Tralee. The opening will be led by special guest Paddy Garvey, Chairperson of Baile Mhuire, and all are welcome to attend. Guests can enjoy an afternoon of art, music and refreshments in a warm and inclusive setting.

This special exhibition is the result of a unique collaboration between members of Tralee Art Group and the clients of Baile Mhuire Day Centre, showcasing the creative energy and expression of both groups. Featuring a variety of works in different media, styles and subjects, Art in Motion celebrates movement, creativity, and community spirit.

TAG is committed to enriching the cultural life of Tralee and surrounding areas. The group regularly holds exhibitions, workshops, and community projects, and has built strong relationships with local organisations—including an ongoing volunteering partnership with Baile Mhuire.

This exhibition reflects that partnership, with art created not only by TAG members but also by clients of the Day Centre who engage weekly in creative workshops facilitated by the group volunteers from Tralee Art Group. The result is a joyful and inspiring collection of artworks, each piece telling its own story of imagination, connection, and collaboration.

All are welcome to attend the opening and celebrate this uplifting display of artistic expression in our community. The exhibition will run for a year and be available to the public weekdays between 4pm and 5pm.

O’Connell’s sculptural work often evokes states of becoming and transformation, reflecting her long-standing fascination between the organic and geometric in the natural world. This way of working melds irregularity and flow to the precise and mathematical, emblematic of a human relationship to nature.

Her attentive process is of happenstance: a responsiveness to a materials behaviour and chance occurrences that are worked through and feel not imposed but discovered. Through careful observation of the everyday landscape in her Cork home, O’Connell’s practice instills curiosity and an unexpected sense of discovery and awareness.

Exhibition continues from 14/11/2025 to 30/04/2026.

Winter Sun is a moving-image work by Cork artist Elinor O’Donovan.

The work is a preserved piece of a warm Cork summer, saved for the months when it is most needed. Taking as its inspiration the iconic view from the top of Patrick’s Hill at Bells Field, the video work is a looping film depicting Corkonians sharing a moment of togetherness, connected by their mutual appreciation for a setting summer sun.

Projection-Mapping: Lightscape Studios
3D Artist: Bassam Issa Al-Sabah
Cinematography: Jack Desmond

Part of Island City – Cork’s Urban Sculpture Trail

Exhibition continues from 30/01/2026 to 05/04/2026.

This is the last iteration of the exhibition, Clann Miotlantach / Mythlantics following its presentation at Sirius Arts Centre, Galway Arts Centre, and Highlanes Gallery.

Alice explores expressions of both personal and broader historical and cultural narratives informed by their lived experience as a person with Irish and Sierra Leonean heritage. They practice across sculpture, expanded painting, digital collage, film, and performance, and use clay, found and collected images and objects, reclaimed and repurposed furniture, and memorabilia and heirlooms.

Exhibition continues from 07/02/2026 to 04/04/2026.

This exhibition is a celebration of Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon’s Academy Award®-nominated modern animated classics which comprise the Folklore Trilogy.
The exhibition presents a selection of pivotal scenes from all three films, demonstrating the unique visual style and exquisitely handcrafted animation which has garnered the studio international acclaim and multiple awards.

Mid-Term Family screenings of all three films will take place from Monday 16 February, and illustration and activity packs, developed by The Ark and suitable for ages 8 – 12 years are available to download for use at home or in the Classroom.

This exhibition presents a selection of both historic and newly acquired abstract artworks from the permanent Waterford Art Collection. Alongside artworks can also be found archival information, newspaper cuttings, and descriptions from the artists themselves, as well as critique by a cross-section of individuals invited and interested in demystifying this still often divisive visual language.

Artworks on show by: Arthur Armstrong, Shelia Naughton, Colin Middleton, Aidan Dunne, Phoebe Donovan, Julie Cusack, Anne Yeats, Susan Connolly, Ciara Rodgers, Jonathan Wade, Susan Montgomery, Darragh Lyons, Evie Hone, John McHarg and more…

Cork Printmakers presents Familiar, a solo exhibition by Ben Reilly at Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery which celebrates drawing through the mediums of etching and casting.
Opening Reception: 5pm Thursday 19 February 2026

In this exhibition, Reilly works with cuttlefish casting and etching; both processes utilising similar tools to inscribe a line into his chosen material (cuttlefish/metal sheet). The former is filled with molten alloy, the latter etched in acid and printed, with the action of making a line connecting both processes.

Official Launch February 28th @ 2pm, opened by artist Cecilia Bullo.
‘Outlandish’ is a meditation on the role of nature in the built environment, how it is both marginalised and idealised in the way we design and shape our cities. In this exhibition, using unconventional canvas shapes, de Forge encourages the viewer to rediscover positive relationships with nature, built on curiosity, playfulness, and respect.
Owen de Forge is a Dublin-based artist working across multiple disciplines including painting, sculpture, drawing, and documentary photography.
Tues-Sat 11:00-17:30

Waterford Gallery of Art is delighted to present ‘as below, so above’, a solo exhibition of new and recent paintings by Robert Jackson.

This exhibition brings together a selection of Jackson’s many and distinct series of works developed over the last 15 years including miniature portraiture and skyscapes (Tiny Skies), fragmented dream infused landscapes (Interruption Paintings), meticulous lace fabric studies (Secret and Solitary Vice), and an incredibly ambitious new large scale work developed specifically for the exhibition, ‘Your soul is a chosen landscape’.

Exhibition continues from 19/02/2026 to 30/04/2026.

Cork Printmakers presents Familiar, a solo exhibition by Ben Reilly at Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery.
In this exhibition, Reilly works with cuttlefish casting and etching; both processes utilising similar tools to inscribe a line into his chosen material; cuttlefish and metal sheet. The former is filled with molten alloy, the latter etched in acid and printed, with the action of making a line connecting both processes. The work takes its inspiration from a mix of ideas, images and things that catch Reilly’s attention, from daily observations; an old yew tree, a disused church to the medieval cadaver stone slab of Thomas Ronan.

Biscuit Tin Nostalgia is a solo exhibition by visual artist Elize de Beer, presenting a new body of work developed through engagement with the Liam Kennedy photographic archive at UCC Library’s Special Collections and Archives. de Beer offers a glimpse into the recent history lived memory of Cork by exploring an archive which documents the daily life of Corkonians from the 1930s through the 1980s. de Beer forms a speculative nostalgic connection to the material, reimagining place and history through landscape, photographic fragments, and archival traces across photo etchings, mixed media works, and artist books.

Kim Crowley is a curator based in Cork City. Her practice is concerned with expanded artist publishing as curatorial practice.
She will establish a curatorial research ‘office’ called the Office of Work (OOW) in the TRISKEL SAMPLE Project Space. The OOW looks to research and interrogate ideas around art making and labour. It will mirror the aesthetics of a traditional office, a nod to the need for creatives to enter environments adjacent to their practice.
The residency will culminate in an exhibition of materials gathered and recorded.

Crawford Supported Studios and LHQ Gallery present ‘This is Ireland’, a showcase of the work of sixteen artists working in supported studio settings: Angela Burchill, Bríd Heffernan, David Connolly, Eoin O’Brion, Íde Ní Shúilleabháin, John Keating, Judit Bakos, Katie Whelan, Marie Sexton, Mary Rose Marshall, Nicola Moran, Rosaleen Moore, Stephen Murray, Tom O’Sullivan, Ailbhe Barrett, and Yvonne Condon. Open at LHQ Gallery March 6th to April 24th 2026.

‍An exhibition of paintings by Kilkenny based artist George Vaughan.

George Vaughan is a respected painter and educator who has been making paintings for over forty years. This collection of abstract expressionist paintings marks an important step forward in Vaughan’s output. These works possess a spontaneity and fluidity of movement that breaks away from any kind of rigid categorisation. Vaughan continues to investigate the complexities of space that painting alone is able to conjure, drawing on the tension between organic and inorganic forms.

MOTH is a group exhibition curated by Emma Quin, recipient of the Backwater Artists Emerging Curator Award 2026, featuring artists Lynn-Marie Dennehy, Andrea Newman and Pádraig Spillane. Inspired by research into the adaptive evolution of moths during the Industrial Revolution, the exhibition explores how individuals are shaped by their environments and the social structures that surround them. Through installation, photography, collage and object-based work, the artists examine themes of social conditioning, surveillance and identity in contemporary society.

Limerick Ceramic Artists are a network of ceramic artists working in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary. They have presented an annual exhibition of contemporary ceramics in Limerick since 2011 and this year present an exhibition in the Foyer of Limerick School of Art and Design, Clare Street to celebrate their 15th year.
The makers, many of whom are graduates of LSAD, present a wide range of ceramic practice.
The exhibition runs each day from 9.00am – 6.00pm, from 10.00am – 5.00pm on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays and Easter Monday.

Exhibition continues from 18/03/2026 to 21/04/2026.

Wild Trees Art Exhibition by Coláiste na Trocaire, Fainleog Students
Rathkeale Library, County Limerick.

With support from Limerick City and County Library Services and Rathkeale Together, the Wild Trees FAINLEOG annual Art Exhibition, by students (past and present), staff and parents/guardians from Coláiste na Trócaire, Fainleog Campus, opens in Rathkeale Library on March 18th and runs until April 21st, 2026.

Colaiste na Trocaire, Fainleog students, are proud to present their Wild Trees Exhibition of student artwork, featuring a vibrant collection of forty textured acrylic and pastel pieces created over the past three years.

Clare Arts Office in conjunction with Clare Museum is delighted to present “Art in Progress” an art exhibition at the Clare Museum by Learners from Youthreach, College of FET, Ennis Campus

Art in Progress showcases artwork created by Youthreach learners throughout the year in the art room. Learners, aged 15–19, come from a variety of places across County Clare and bring their own ideas, experiences, and perspectives into their work. The exhibition reflects this diversity through a range of drawings, paintings, and mixed-media pieces.

Featured Image: Processed by Christopher Beau

Exhibition continues from 19/03/2026 to 08/04/2026.

Visual artist Grace Roberts, based in Clare, will open her latest exhibition, In Honour of Sarah ii, at Nenagh Arts Centre on Thursday 19 March at 6pm. The exhibition is dedicated to Roberts’ mother, Sarah, whose Limerick antique shop filled the artist’s childhood with objects, paintings and stories that continue to influence her work today.
Working in mixed media & encaustic, the paintings are a layered reflection on what we inherit, what we shed, and what we become.
The exhibition runs until 8th April 2026. Entry is free.

Home Body is a collection exploring the process of returning to yourself after grief. Developed from life-drawing studies, the work moves away from direct representation and instead captures the emotional weight and movement of the female form. Looser marks and an earthy palette reflect a deeper internal connection, grounding each piece in memory, presence, and recovery. The collection sits between figure and feeling, offering space for reflection and emotional clarity.

“Forward,” said granny in the snow – “Eteenpäin,” sanoi mummo lumessa (Finnish Proverb)
Jane Hughes and Selma Mäkelä.
Curated by Paula Barrett.

The Finnish proverb “Eteenpäin, sanoi mummo lumessa” – “Forward,” said granny in the snow – evokes resilience and determination in the face of adversity. This spirit of perseverance underpins this exhibition that brings together the work of Jane Hughes and Selma Mäkelä for the first time.

Exhibition continues from 23/03/2026 to 25/04/2026.

Clare Arts Office in conjunction with Culturlann Sweeney is delighted to present ‘Ethereal” an exhibition by Christopher Quinn.
Following on from the success of his first exhibit “Colours in the Landscape”, Christopher Quinn returns with his follow up showing “Ethereal”. Christopher Quinn, a native of Ennis, Co. Clare fell in love with landscape photography whilst living in the Canadian Rockies. Persistence in learning from one photograph to the next engrained the need to succeed. “Ethereal” is something that resonates deeply with his approach to photography, calmness, serenity, less obtrusion, it’s the perfect signature of his work.

Exhibition continues from 23/03/2026 to 25/04/2026.

Clare Arts Office in conjunction with the Edna O’Brien Library in Scariff is delighted to present “In Clondorney Bog – An exploration of a local peatland” by the Artist Caitríona O’Sullivan.

Caitríona O’Sullivan is a landscape artist and floral designer from Tulla, Co. Clare. Her work is inspired by the colours, forms, textures and moods of the East Clare landscape. Working in pencil and pastel, her drawings express her emotional connection to the environment, highlighting its beauty, complexity and fragility. Her locality also inspires the botanical installations and arrangements she makes using dried and fresh wild plant material.

Exhibition continues from 26/03/2026 to 18/04/2026.

An exhibition of artwork by artist members including painting, sculpture, print, photography, ceramics and textiles. The judging panel for 2026 were Katie O’Grady, Curator of Exhibitions + Projects at The Glucksman, Michael Quane RHA, artist and Sarah Foster, Lecturer at MTU Crawford College of Art & Design. This year 393 artworks were submitted with a maximum of 3 pieces allowed per artist member. A total of 107 artworks were selected. Of the approximately 147 members who submitted 72 are participating in the exhibition.

Exhibition continues from 14/03/2026 to 12/04/2026.

Contemporary Irish painter Rebecca Peart’s solo exhibition, ‘Mariner’, shows new work from 14 March until 12 April. Invoking the intrepid mariners of yesteryear setting out to discover new worlds, Peart’s painting Sail leads the viewer into the exhibition and through her mind’s eye yielding colourful emotive abstracts. Colour hues scale from whispering landscapes to heightened tones at sea; her paintings conjure abstract compositions travelling through longitudes of time and space, a nautical journey between lands. Rebecca has drawn inspiration from Kerry since childhood and has exhibited extensively in Dublin, London and New York.

A group of artists awarded a mentoring programme through Big Look and the Kilkenny Arts Office reunite one year later to showcase the evolution of their work. Originally brought together over three months of intensive weekly sessions, this exhibition traces each artist’s journey from the first spark of an idea to fresh developments in process and vision. By capturing the progression from initial inception to refined execution, the collection reveals the endless possibilities that emerge when artistic practices are nurtured and given the essential space and time to expand, reflect, and grow.

Note: Opening times on weekends/bank holidays are 10am – 4.30pm

Bare is an intimate, immersive theatre experience that invites audiences into a living gallery of human vulnerability. Set within a museum-style space, the production presents a collection of “live exhibits” — individuals suspended in moments of emotional and psychological exposure. Each character stands at a crossroads, grappling with private struggles, inner conflicts, and the quiet battles that shape their lives. There is no fourth wall here. Instead, the audience steps inside the world of the piece, moving through the space as witnesses to raw, unfiltered humanity.

Join us at GOMA Waterford for the opening reception of Sanctum on Thursday 2 April 2026, 6–8pm. All welcome.

Sanctum explores contemporary spirituality through personal, non-institutional belief and ritual, drawing on pre-Christian practices, folklore, and reimagined religious symbols to address today’s environmental, political, and existential uncertainties.

Curated by Anna Jeznach & Ciara Magee, recipients of GOMA Waterford’s Emerging Curator Award 2026.

Artists: Sam Comerford, Fionn Mac Tiomáin, Rónán Ó Raghallaigh, Lara Quinn, Zuzanna Romańska, Milan Zientara.