Latest news with #BernardCanavan
Irish Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Life of 'emigrant's artist' Bernard Canavan chronicled in new documentary
OVER the past year director Sé Merry Doyle has been in the process of making a documentary about the life of the Irish artist Bernard Canavan, often referred to as The Emigrant's Artist and the Painter of The Diaspora. A special preview screening was recently held at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, London to raise funds to bring the production Theocracy - The Emigrant's Artist by Loopline Films to final completion. The event also included an art auction of Canavan's work — where four artworks were donated for auction to raise funds for the film. A new documentary focuses on the work of emigrant artist Bernard Canavan Canavan's paintings of the diaspora, capture the pain of women and men, girls and boys, leaving home; the indignity of the boat train, the harshness of the building sites, the crowded pubs where men went 'home' to drink their dinner. This was a world of subbies, piece work, being 'on the lump', digging the tunnels; as well as the peak era of the Irish nurses who formed the back bone of the NHS. Bernard Canavan's art focuses on the Irish diaspora. His works are inspired by his own personal experience of working as a navvy in England in the 1950s. Canavan's work is inspired by his own experience as a member of the Irish diaspora In 2018 the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins awarded the prestigious Presidential Award to Bernard Canavan for his contribution to Irish culture in the UK. See More: Artist, Bernard Canavan, Diaspora, Irish, Irish Cultural Centre
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Temple Hill survivors have to go to court to get into redress scheme
Why have we got to the point where middle-aged and elderly survivors of mother and baby homes are forced to contact lawyers to take a test case to the High Court on July 21 and 22, to seek to include homes that are currently outside the remit of the State mother and baby homes redress scheme? The Government made a case for excluding Temple Hill from the scheme basically because unmarried mothers didn't reside there with their children, ie it was a hospital for children and not a 'mother and baby home'. Whether or not it was, in fact, more inhumane to leave newly born children there immediately after birth without their mothers, and then again leave them out of the scheme because their mothers didn't reside there with them — they were forced to leave their newly-born children at the door of Temple Hill — seems to defy logic. Journalists and historians investigating the historicity of this narrative have verified that it was indeed a holding centre for children who were intended for adoption. As an adoptee from Temple Hill, I wrote to various ministers pointing out that it was untruthful to frame Temple Hill as a hospital because my parents adopted six children from that building which at the time was called St Patrick's Infant and Dietetic Hospital. None of us were sick babies or patients of an 'infant hospital'. My mother, who is 93, and could swear an affidavit if necessary, remembers picking us up from there through the process of adoption mediated by St Patrick's Guild. No one gave me a satisfactory answer. I recently took part in a film speaking about the issue of exclusion with the acclaimed Irish emigrant artist Bernard Canavan, outside Temple Hill for an upcoming documentary, Theocracy, by Irish filmmaker Sé Merry Doyle. Bernard spent several years in Temple Hill and suffered poor health and other adverse effects before he was informally adopted from there in the 1950s. Even though President Michael D Higgins presented him with the Irish Presidential Award for distinguished service for his paintings on 'the forgotten Irish', and he is in his 80s — due to Government inaction, he will now have to line up with the other 556 survivors outside the High Court to seek justice. Forgotten indeed. Rachel Fehily, School of English, Drama, and Film, University College Dublin Ban unregulated sprat fishing The story ('Irish waters a marine desert due to Government inaction on overfishing' — Irish Examiner, May 27) underlines the plight of marine life in our bays in West Cork, which is vanishing in front of our eyes due to the legal and unregulated fishing of sprat every year during its spawning season by offshore trawlers. This should be another wake-up call in a long line of appeals to government to act. We, who live on bays like Bantry and Kenmare, see the devastation firsthand and the declining marine life, which affects local inshore fishermen; marine tour operators who lose their livelihood, like Colin Barnes; and local businesses. We do not begrudge fishermen their livelihood, but we need a total moratorium on sprat fishing as the initial 18m-and-over ban proposed and overturned on vessels in the six nautical mile zone alone will not do. This is because of the improved fishing capabilities of smaller vessels over 10m in length now also landing nearly half the catch on an annual basis based on latest draft data release by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. (SFPA). We hope the Government takes heed and acts decisively by banning this practice. Charl Bester, Bantry Bay, Cork What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here The Wild Atlantic Desert Thank you for covering this very important issue (Seas off Cork a 'marine desert' due to overfishing of sprat, says owner of whale-watching business — Irish Examiner, May 27). Each autumn for the last few years I have watched those deadly trawlers out of my windows. Just a few men creating an ecological desert, and it's heartbreaking. I used to work as a tour guide for the beautiful gardens in this stunning part of the planet, and I often used the boat to Garinish Island with my guests. Sometimes I joined them on whale watching tours (including tours with Colin). The excitement of people to see real sea creatures was always contagious. But the numbers are decreasing year by year, which is terribly sad, as indirectly even we humans depend on sprat (being a naturopath I just think of the importance of omega-3 supplements for mental health issues). In many countries, like Belgium, sprat is an important source of protein for humans. So why are just a few men allowed to deplete bay after bay of this important part of the food chain? Stealing them during reproduction time from September to January, when they come into the more sheltered bays to spawn. They use horribly tight nets (maximum 16mm, when pulled hardly any opening) shaped like socks, which most small marine creatures can't escape; this takes place week after week. The by-catch is obviously horrendous, many many more living beings are being killed and then just dumped. We concerned citizens from Save our Sprat are marching today, Friday, from Bantry Square trying to raise more attention as there are only about 100 days left until those modern ruthless pirates come to steal the feed of many animals again. We need an urgent moratorium. We need the Government to take action. Otherwise the livelihood of many more people around our bays is endangered, including tourism, as the Wild Atlantic Way becomes the Wild Atlantic Desert. Elaine Zimmermann, Glengarriff, Co Cork Rigid sport fixtures As a parent, coach, and supporter of youth sport, I wish to express my deep disappointment at the refusal to reschedule the boys' football final involving Newbridge Educate Together National School (NETNS) which was fixed for May 26. Despite full agreement between both finalist schools, and NETNS offering to arrange all logistics, the organising committee rejected every request to move the match — even when a practical alternative during the hurling finals was proposed. The only explanation given was that the final has been held on this date since 2015. If the recent skorts v shorts debate and the Camogie Association's slow response to change have taught us anything, it's that tradition for its own sake can hinder progress in our sport. NETNS is not a traditionally sporty school, so the extraordinary commitment these boys, their coaches, and staff have shown this season — winning every game to reach the final — deserves respect and support. To see all that hard work go to waste due to inflexibility is deeply unfair. This decision forces children to choose between two pillars of Irish culture — sport and language — due to a clash with a Gaeltacht trip. It sends a disheartening message to young players who should be encouraged to continue participating. For many, this was their first real engagement with the GAA. Instead of inspiration, they've been met with rigidity. While it may be too late for our boys now, no future team should face the same disappointment. Sport should embody fairness, inclusion, and common sense. I urge the GAA, Cumann na mBunscol, and our public representatives to ensure those values are truly upheld. Let the children play. Sharon Canavan, Rathangan, Co Kildare What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here In Reagan's defence It seems columnist Terry Prone has never heard of the old adage 'never speak ill of the dead', or at least in relation to Ronald Reagan, has chosen to ignore same — 'We remember Reagan fondly but he was every bit as bad as Trump' (Irish Examiner, May 26). The late US president obviously can't defend himself, but maybe he deserves someone to put a word in for him. I was too busy trying to pass my B Comm during his presidency, so wasn't really conscious of his impact, one way or the other, but some US relations did speak well of him. The context was that America was coming out of a particularly bleak period in the 1960s and '70s, having got involved in various conflicts, nearly all of which ended in disaster. The well-meaning though ineffective Jimmy Carter seemed to be the last nail in the coffin of American prestige. At this stage, Ronald Reagan appeared on the scene. His major achievement from a US perspective was to make Americans feel good and positive again about their country. He also played a significant role in the demise of the Soviet 'evil empire'. With great benefits to most of the old communist bloc. Sadly, Russia itself has gone down a very strange path, which no one could have predicted. Undoubtedly there were negatives to his tenure. But Ronald Reagan deserves more credit than Terry Prone gives him. The irony, of course, is that Donald Trump, is by far the least belligerent, militarily, of any president in 75 years. He seems to have learned the lesson that excessive US militarism in other countries rarely ends well. Eric Conway, Navan, Co Meath
