An Béal Bocht/ The Poor Mouth – Oíche Chultuir @ An Lab
An artists reaction to “a bad story about the hard life”, sisters Ciara and Deirdre McKenna will be exhibiting together with an exciting new body of work based on the well known book An Béal Bocht by Myles na gCopaleen (Flan O’Brien). This collection of drawings and paintings will be hung in the straw bale round house at An Lab, John St., Dingle.
In her series of paintings entitled Cé Sinne?/ Who Are We? Ciara’s work questions the relevance of the book to our irish culture today. Have the new generations of Ireland completely forgotten their humble origins and turned their backs on the older simpler and sometimes wiser ways portrayed in An Béal Bocht? Ciara compares images and ideals of the stereotypical Ireland as portrayed by Myles na gCopaleen and the Ireland that is today, post Celtic Tiger.
In contrast to Ciara’s large colourful pieces, Deirdre has produced a series of small drawings depicting some of the more farcical scenes from book. Fishermen catching pigs in their nets, the man who went off to live with the seals and (something we can all relate to) the shock of a ray of sunshine in the midst of all the rain!
Deirdre McKenna 