Modern Ireland in 100 Artworks: 1969 – The Táin, by Thomas Kinsella and Louis le Brocquy

The poet and the artist collaborated to produce a blunt, muscular reimagining of the Ulster legend of the Cooley cattle raid 

One of the odder effects of the explosion of youth culture in the 1960s and early 1970s was what might be called a second Celtic Revival in Ireland. In the search for an alternative, anti-establishment aesthetic, the notion of a pre-Christian “Celtic” world promised a kind of authenticity that dovetailed with the international counterculture. It manifested itself in everything from jewellery to the graphic art of Jim Fitzpatrick (see 1968) to the invention of “Celtic rock”. 

This interest in turn gave an unexpectedly contemporary energy to one of the most prestigious high-art projects of the era: the collaboration between the poet Thomas Kinsella and the painter Louis le Brocquy (see 1951) on a translation of the old Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley).

The Táin is the centrepiece of the Ulster Cycle of legends, describing the mythic conflict that erupts when Queen Medb of Connacht invades Ulster to capture its most prized treasure, a great brown bull. Ulster is defended by its youthful champion, Cúchulainn.

Read the entire article at The Irish Times.

 

 

Prehistoric rock art found in Scottish Highlands

The Archaeology News Network reports that:

"An archaeologist has uncovered the biggest collection of ancient rock art in the Highlands. Douglas Scott, 64, of Tain, Ross-shire, discovered a circle of 28 carved rocks which date back 5000 years while combing a 200-metre hillside farm in Evanton."

The full story can be read at the website here.

The Hermit

A friend of mine has decided to create her own tarot deck and has made a request of me: to model for The Hermit card. I have agreed as I think it will be an interesting project. An artist has been hired to create the cards from the ideas of my friend, and these will all be modelled on things personal to her, including her friends, family and pagan folk of her acquaintence.

At this stage, the deck is to be majors only, but some of the ideas I've heard sound wonderful.

I am sure it will be a few years before the deck is finished but, when it is finished, I will be sure to post a picture (friend's permission permitting) here at my blog.

All rather exciting I think.

Simant Bostock

Whilst on holiday in Scotland in 2004, I came across some amazing cards in a tourist shop. The cards had photographs of sculptures created by an artist, Simant Bostock. I bought only two cards thinking I would be able to find more as I went along. Time was short on this guided tour, so I rushed about trying to see everything and not really taking it all in.



















The picture above is called "Bog Man: Spirit of the Ancestors" and it was the first image that caught my eye. It called me to think about my predecessors on this earth and, as the tour was taking in things like Brochs, megaliths and cairns, it had a poignancy I though I could not appreciate at the time. The tour was taking place between Harvest and All Hallows and I wonder if this had any significance in my choice of souvenirs. Certainly, the items I brought back from that tour of the Highlands and Islands were not the usual tourist fayre. Yes, I did bring back some tweed, but it was in the form of a scarf, from the weaver herself, and some postcards. However, the rest were unusual. The best of these were the two cards decorated by Simani Bostock.



So, why am I posting now (three years later) on these cards? I was trying to answer a post on inspiration in a forum of which I am a member and I remembered these cards I had at home. I brought them in to scan, but once I saw them again, I felt I had to find the creator. Unfortunately, there are no contact details and no presence on the net.

So, I was hoping that anyone reading this blog and travelling to Scotland might try and locate the artist or pieces of their work and pass the contact details on to me. I know the imagery is a bit strange and not everyone will have the inclination, or time to search out the artist, but you never know.

The image to the right is entitled: "The Journey". The collection is referred to as Images of the Tuatha de Dannan.