Ag Filleadh Abhaile (Returning Home)

This painting is inspired by irish literature in which Ireland is not only described, but experienced – the author Pádraigín Haicéad, speaks of the beauty and enlightened perspective and admiration on one’s homeland, when returning home after some time. In the Gaelic text, descriptions of paradise, fields of gold and mountains conclude with the poet stating that his journey will end back home in Ireland.

Fragments of the Gaelic text are written through the layers of paint. The language sits within the work as something felt, a whisper, rather than fully displayed – present even when it cannot be fully read.

The poem and the painting portray a landscape, but beneath that, speak to something more instinctive: a pull towards home, a sense of return, of feeling a sense of belonging, without needing to explain it.

Tones of green shift between bold and soft, with textured areas resembling rock and sand. Fine lines of gold trace quietly through the surface, suggesting pathways, memory, and the subtle imprints left by time and movement.