$ 1550
Oil on Canvas
96cm x 80cm
This layered oil painting traces the deep roots of identity through language. Veiled beneath translucent paint layers are lines from the ancient Gaelic text ‘Song of Amergin’. Considered one of the earliest Irish poems, it is a mythic incantation spoken by The Milesians to claim the land through language and elemental power. Barely visible, this fading text echoes the attempted silencing of early Irish language and lore.
Above it, more visible and deliberate, are handwritten lines from Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill’s poem ‘Ceist na Teanga’ (The Language Issue), a contemporary poem of cultural revival and hope for the future of the Irish language.
Together, the layers speak of the loss and return of language, among colours that evoke the ancient land itself.
In stock
