Description

BERE ISLAND.

Located in Bantry Bay, Co. Cork this island, measuring 7 square miles and almost 4.500 acres, is facing the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest coast of Ireland.

Its natural harbour and naval fortifications underline its strategic importance when naval power was at its height during the 1914-18 War. This, along with the Martello tower, still reflects the historic importance of this island over the past three centuries. Today Bere Island retains a vibrant community and is a leading example of environmental tourism.
Jim Fitzpatrick:
“I tried to capture the invasion of the island by the mythical Tuatha De Danann who were returning to the Promised Land. The Brent geese in the background allude to this return. The girl in the painting represents Princess Bere, whom the island is called after. Bere is also the site where the Tuatha De Danann first set foot in Ireland. They subsequently moved to the mainland and indeed are reputed to be the builders of Newgrange in Co. Meath.
I also included the wonderful standing stone which is located at the centre of the island and the massive wedge dolmen – one of the largest I have seen.”

CityJet, the Irish airline, commissioned the internationally renowned artist, Jim Fitzpatrick, to create images that would reflect the mythology, history and natural environment of Ireland’s islands.
These remote islands, nearly as far west as one can get in Europe, are hidden gems and places of staggering natural beauty. In some cases history and folklore are all that’s left today of some of the smaller  islands. The once vibrant fishing communities are now deserted, a haunting landscape of roofless cottages and grass-covered potato ridges. The islands uniquely reveal to the resolute traveller a rare glimpse of Irish life over the centuries: bronze age settlements, promontory forts used by marauding Celtic tribes, small early Christian chapels, the rocky remains of Norman forts and the burial sites of islanders.
This collection includes paintings depicting the following islands:
Bere, Clare, Rathlin, Tory,
Skellig Michael & St. Macdara