Photo credits: Gerry Farrell & Patricia McKenna

Echoes of Swanlinbar and Drumbar

Swanlinbar is a small town in County Cavan close to the border with County Fermanagh. Drumbar is a townland on the outskirts of Swanlinbar. Both my parent are from Swanlinbar and had family on both sides of the border. 

The work in these shows dealt with the common rural problems of emigration, displacement and loss experienced by many families in Ireland, including my own and the addition strains and pressures imposed by being from a border area.

Echoes of Swanlinbar was held during the Swanlinbar Summer Festival 1990 in St Mary’s Catholic Church parish hall. The exhibition was in the form of a mixed media installation incorporating paint, photography, fabric and wood.

Part of Echoes of Swanlinbar was shown in IAWA, International Association of Women Artists, in Art Beyond Barriers in the Frauen Museum, Bonn, Germany. This work was part of WAAG, Women Artist Action Group representation in the exhibition.

Durmbar was held in Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin 11th-29th June 1991. The work incorporated some pieces from Echoes of Swanlinbar. It consisted of mixed media painting, photography and sculpture. 

Dumbar was also shown in the old National School in Blacklion on the Cavan - Fermanagh border in 1991. This work developed into the series Marking the Land.