See photos from launch of Wicklow show by four artists with disabilities
Their varied works represent very different journeys of personal exploration, following individual interests and the continuous development of techniques and skills brought about by dedicated application.
Libby Hendrick's interests and inspiration come mostly from nature and draw on her love of gardening. Libby finds a quiet stillness in concentrating on a painting, and this quality is reflected in her nature studies and landscapes.
In 2023, Libby was selected for the Connecting Artists programme, which culminated in exhibiting her work in Dublin and Belfast.
Working on paper using permanent markers to create her studies of paintings and drawings by various artists, Ruth Fenton received a Gaisce Gold award for her project on Picasso in 2022, and at that time, completed several pieces based on his line drawings.
Since then, Ruth has been focusing on works from the Impressionist era, particularly portraits and still lives by Matisse.
Paddy Burton has a wide range of inspiration for his work, sometimes working from photographs but also from the imagination, on pieces depicting such diverse subjects as public buildings, popular icons and fashion items.
Having developed the unique ability to paint with his nose, using dynamic, precise strokes, Paddy works in acrylic on paper.
Eoin O'Malley started to paint in 2008 and uses his mouth to hold his brushes. He works mainly in acrylic on canvas, but also in pencil and brush and ink on paper and has developed ways to use his wheelchair to create large-scale floor paintings.
He brings an unwavering sense of purpose to all his work, and his achievements have been recognised by many funding awards
'Thanks to everyone who came to the launch of Two x Two, which is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland,' a Courthouse spokesperson said.
Two x Two runs until August 3, during gallery opening hours.
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Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
See photos from launch of Wicklow show by four artists with disabilities
The new exhibition features drawings and paintings on paper and canvas by Libby Hendrick, Ruth Fenton, Paddy Burton and Eoin O'Malley, who work alongside tutor/facilitator Orla Callaghan in the services of Kare in Baltinglass and Ardeen Cheshire Home in Shillelagh. Their varied works represent very different journeys of personal exploration, following individual interests and the continuous development of techniques and skills brought about by dedicated application. Libby Hendrick's interests and inspiration come mostly from nature and draw on her love of gardening. Libby finds a quiet stillness in concentrating on a painting, and this quality is reflected in her nature studies and landscapes. In 2023, Libby was selected for the Connecting Artists programme, which culminated in exhibiting her work in Dublin and Belfast. Working on paper using permanent markers to create her studies of paintings and drawings by various artists, Ruth Fenton received a Gaisce Gold award for her project on Picasso in 2022, and at that time, completed several pieces based on his line drawings. Since then, Ruth has been focusing on works from the Impressionist era, particularly portraits and still lives by Matisse. Paddy Burton has a wide range of inspiration for his work, sometimes working from photographs but also from the imagination, on pieces depicting such diverse subjects as public buildings, popular icons and fashion items. Having developed the unique ability to paint with his nose, using dynamic, precise strokes, Paddy works in acrylic on paper. Eoin O'Malley started to paint in 2008 and uses his mouth to hold his brushes. He works mainly in acrylic on canvas, but also in pencil and brush and ink on paper and has developed ways to use his wheelchair to create large-scale floor paintings. He brings an unwavering sense of purpose to all his work, and his achievements have been recognised by many funding awards 'Thanks to everyone who came to the launch of Two x Two, which is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland,' a Courthouse spokesperson said. Two x Two runs until August 3, during gallery opening hours.
The Irish Sun
27-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Emma Raducanu reveals she is studying ‘completely different' course as Wimbledon star hints at future career
EMMA RADUCANU wants to create another masterpiece at Wimbledon. At the most challenging time of her season, 3 Emma Raducanu has revealed she is studying while not playing tennis Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 The ace is currently preparing for the start of Wimbledon Credit: Shutterstock Editorial And in her spare time at Wimbledon, she is reading books on art history as part of an online course. French 19th century painter Claude Monet, a master of the Impressionist era, is someone whose work she is starting to appreciate more. The world No.38 said: 'I'm just doing a course, I have a year to do it and it's good. It gives me something different to do. 'A lot of my subjects at school growing up were so quantitative – maths and economics. READ MORE IN TENNIS 'To do art history is completely different. You have to challenge your brain and ways of thinking that it wasn't used to. 'It's quite challenging. I actually quite like it. I have to learn so many broader topics. 'You have to pick apart and analyse every single thing in the painting. It's interesting. It's really fascinating. 'I have a greater appreciation for Monet and the Impressionist era. I didn't really take as much notice of that era of painting before. Now, I can appreciate what they're able to do. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'It's art history, and there's a section on the Renaissance and there's a section on sculptures and architecture as well. But I'm not at that part yet.' British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money 3 It has been a difficult year for the British tennis superstar, who has had mixed results on the court and some troublesome issues off it. Her coach Nick Cavaday, a long-term friend from her childhood, quit her set-up due to health reasons after the Australian Open in January. Then Raducanu was approached by a stalker that had followed her to Dubai, an episode that saw her burst into tears. And only last week she was crying again in public, this time at Eastbourne after receiving 'some pretty bad news'. Yet in spite of the trials and tribulations she has encountered, Raducanu approaches her fourth Wimbledon determined to smile throughout and live in the moment. Raducanu said: 'I want to really embody just having a good time and feel joy. 'I've recently realised that what we do is for such a short amount of time and it'll go before we know it. 'I was actually listening to Ana Ivanovic say the same thing. She said she wished she had enjoyed it more. Ladies' singles draw in full Sabalenka v Branstine Raducanu v Xu Vondrousova v Kessler Mertens v Fruhvirtova Li v Golubic Gracheva v Sasnovich Boulter v Badosa Minnen vs Gadecki Todoni vs Bucsa Birrel v Vekic Fernandez v Klugman Stearns v Siegemund Danilov v Zhang Ruse v Keys Paolini v Sevastova Rakhimova v Ito Lys v Yuan Pera v Noskova Haddad Maia v Sramkova Dart v Galfi Wickmayer v Zarazua Putintseva v Anisimova Shnaider v Uchijima Parry v Martic Tomova v Jabeur Kartal v Ostapenko Krueger v Stojsavljevic Pavlyuchenkova v Tomljanovic Osaka v Gibson Siniakova v Zheng Andreeva v Sherif Teichmann v Bronzetti Bapiste v Cirstea Potapova v Frech Krejcikoba v Eala Dolehide v Rus Kudermetova v Zhu Kvitova v Navarro Mucholva v Wang Sonmez v Cristian Lamens v Jovic Hon v Alexandrova Linette v Jacquemot Parks v Bencic Volynets v Maria Cocciaretto v Pegula Swiatek v Kudermetova McNally v Burrage Osorio v Collins Erjavec v Kostyuk Tauson v Watson Kalinskaya v Stojanovic Sakkari v Blinkova Avanesyan v Rybakina Kasatkina v Arango Begu v Juvan Starodubtseva v Jones Joint v Samsonova Kenin v Townsend Bouzas Maneiro v Seidel Azarenka v Zakharova Yastremska v Gauff 'Sometimes I want to go into the future and think: 'Oh, my god, am I going to regret not enjoying this moment?' 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Wimbledon Ticket Options There are a range of ways to get into Wimbledon as one of the only major sporting events in the world that offer sought-after tickets on the day of the event... The Queue As one of the only major sporting events that allows guests to purchase tickets on the day of the event, demand is high. Each day a large queue forms of people wanting either a Grounds or Show Court ticket - with many even arriving the night before and camping to guarantee a place. Upon arrival, visitors are issued a Queue Card, which is numbered and dated and should be kept until a ticket has been purchased. While there is a limited number of entries, it is possible to remain in the queue and wait for people already inside to leave, with those tickets then becoming available. It is also possible to check the status of the queue on the Wimbledon website. This year, organisers are asking potential queuers to download the Wimbledon app and create a myWimbledon account. Show Tickets If you get to the front of the queue, then there are a limited number of tickets available for purchase for Centre Court and Courts 1, 2 and 3. Note that Centre Court tickets are available for the first 10 days of the tournament, the final four days were already pre-sold. Prices vary depending on the Court, seat and day of the event and will increase the further into the tournament you visit. For example, Centre Court rows A-T cost £105 on Day 1 and £315 on Day 14 (men's final). Grounds Pass A Grounds Pass costs £30 and allows visitors to watch matches on Courts 3-18 on unreserved seats, though there will also be a queue to get into Court 3. Ticket Resale From 3pm each day, tickets may become available from people who have left Wimbledon and made their seat available. A Grounds Pass is needed to join the virtual queue on the Wimbledon App. Tickets cost £15 for Centre Court or £10 for Courts 1/2. Hospitality There are a range of hospitality packages still available on the Wimbledon website. Hospitality packages offer guaranteed premium seating to major matches as well as fine dining experiences, complimentary drinks, a shuttle and concierge service. Hospitality packages can also be purchased via Secondary Markets Sites such as *Please note that StubHub and similar secondary ticket resale sites may list tickets above face value.* Cavaday will not be courtside but Mark Petchey – a respected TV analyst – will be in the stands, orchestrating her training plans and giving out orders. Raducanu axed Vladimir Platenik as coach after one match in Miami after it was revealed the Slovakian had previously branded the prospect of working with her as 'coaching suicide' in an interview. Working with people who knew her before she became mega famous is something she values. Trust is an important element when it comes to whom she lets into her inner circle having been burned in the past. 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RTÉ News
07-06-2025
- RTÉ News
Support, don't star: rethinking the Arts Council's role
Theatremaker Dan Colley asks: Has the Arts Council of Ireland taken on too much 'main character energy'? I would like to propose a gear shift with the appointment of the next Director of the Council. The next Director should reorient the Arts Council into the role of supporting character in the story of the arts. It will take a really adept leader not to try and fix everything that's wrong with the organisation from within, but instead to follow. From the outset I want to acknowledge the many dedicated public servants who work at the Arts Council - people who care deeply about the arts and have served tirelessly through periods of huge change. Not least among them Maureen Kennelly, the outgoing Director of the Arts Council, who enjoys widespread support and respect among the community. Her commitment to artists, particularly during the pandemic, has been felt and appreciated. The Arts Council is the national agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland. The money it gets from Government to fulfil that mandate has gone from €75 million in 2019, to €140 million in 2025. An 86.5% increase in six years. It's a credit to the people at the Arts Council, and to the volunteer advocates at the National Campaign for the Arts, that they have helped bring greater public and political understanding of the arts—not just as an economic or reputational asset, but as an essential part of Irish life and a foundation of a healthy society. So why, when the Arts Council has more money than ever before, does it feel harder than ever to make theatre? I'm a theatre maker, and that question brought a group of my peers together last year - trying to make sense of an increasingly precarious sector. Theatre funding has effectively stagnated - rising only 5.8% since 2008 - an increase that's been outstripped by inflation. And yet the Arts Council more than doubled its staff since 2020. While additional capacity at the Arts Council may have been necessary, the lack of parallel investment in their clients has created a gulf between the people who produce art and the agency that manages the funding. No theatre has doubled its staff. No plays have doubled its cast. Over 800 artists signed an open letter calling for emergency investment in the sector which was delivered in December 2024. The feeling was widespread: theatre in Ireland is struggling, not because there's no funding, but because of how it's being distributed. The problem is not about people. It's about systems. The Arts Council is a public body with a wide remit, serving everything from festivals to literature, music, venues, visual art, as well as the more nebulous idea of 'promoting the arts in Ireland'. But its most essential function - getting funding to artists and the people who connect art with the public - is not working. If the Arts Council were truly attuned to the interests of artists, it would see the current delays in funding decisions as an organisational crisis. Radical measures would be considered - like redeploying staff or drastically simplifying processes - to get investment to artists in time. If it were more attuned to artists' interests, the fact that only 15% of eligible theatre applications are funded wouldn't be brushed off as "the competitive context." It would be treated as an emergency. The next Director should make the Arts Council a supporting character - one that enables, rather than directs. If it were aligned with artists' interests', the Council's budget submission to Government would not be built around what it thinks it can get, or what looks tidy on paper, but on the real cost of funding all the applications it has already judged to be worthy. They would base it on the real demand, no matter how big that number is. These are questions I've been asking, along with many others, not out of hostility, but out of necessity. These failures are not moral ones. They are systemic. Systems respond to power and, as it stands, the Arts Council responds most clearly to the pressures it is most exposed to - be they departmental, political, or bureaucratic. The artist's voice is still too faint in that chorus. That's why I've been part of a group that formed the Theatre Artists Assembly - an attempt to give the arts practitioners a unified, democratic voice. Not to shout louder, but to speak more clearly and together about what we need to do our work. I would like to see assemblies like this being integrated into Arts Council decision-making processes. I would like to see artist and practitioner-led groups taking power and responsibility over the decisions that affect them. Yes, even the difficult and unpopular decisions. We have seen in citizens' assemblies how groups of people can come together and, when provided with the facts, expertise, and time to digest them and come to a conclusion, they do so with remarkable civility and clarity. I think this could be an experiment in co-creation of state policy. This could be a way of making institutions work in ways that reflect the interests of its stakeholders. It could be something we so acutely need; a form of democracy that happens between elections. This approach could strengthen and renew the principle of the Arts Council's 'arms-length' from Government. This is the principle, established in the Arts Art, that keeps decisions about what kind of art to produce and who to fund to do it, out of the realm of party politics. This could be a way of affirming that distance from the political system, while establishing community-voice and democratic responsibility. The next Director should make the Arts Council a supporting character - one that enables, rather than directs. They should build models for democratic decision-making - not merely "consultation" but real decision-making power. It will take a deft leader to resist the urge to fix everything from within, and instead recognise that real leadership often means creating space for others to shape the path. In short, they should lead by following.
