Description
Artworks in this set from left to right:
The dolmen of Kilclooney. Link to print
Kilclooney Dolmen is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and impressive ancient monuments in the entire country. The Stone Age inhabitants of Ireland were great builders as well as great warriors, male and female. Over a thousand of their monuments survive to this day despite the machinations of the venal political elite who rule us now. Kilclooney Dolmen is particularly graceful and artistic, poised like a great bird of prey about to soar into the sky. The Dolmen, or Cromleac, also known as a portal tomb, usually is covered with earth and smaller stones to form a barrow, and in this case the covering has weathered away leaving the magnificent stone skeleton of the burial chamber intact.
This was originally one of a series commissioned for a calendar for the Bank of Ireland titled ‘The Heritage of Ireland’ and it was my first real venture into landscape painting using the more stylized forms I had developed for my Celtic work.
I have since extended this series for my own satisfaction and like all series dealing with ancient heritage of Ireland the possibilities are endless.
Newgrange Co. Meath. Link to print
According to Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001, Newgrange is the oldest building in the entire world. This gigantic, mystical monument was over 5,000 years ago over an older edifice of wood in the Boyne Valley. Even today it holds the imagination with its portal light box tuned to the winter and summer solstices and its astounding and mysterious carvings of still undeciphered celestial symbols.
Dolmen. Haroldstown. Link to print
Dating from around 3,000 years ago Haroldstown portal dolmen is reputedly the largest in Ireland and is one of the most impressive of the numerous antiquities that grace the midlands of Ireland.
The Rock of Cashel. Link to print
The stunning and imposing Rock of Cashel first came to prominence in the fourth century A.D. as the royal seat of the early Gaelic Éoganacht dynasty.
The massive buildings that crown Saint Patrick’s Rock today stands mute testimony to the skill of those early stonemasons and architects and even today presents an awe-inspiring mass of magnificent ancient architecture.
Dun Guaire Castle. Link to print
DunGuaire Castle is a magnificent fortress set on an outcrop in Kinvara, County Galway, Ireland. It was once the dwelling of King Guaire , a local and legendary king of all the province of Connacht. It was originally a ring-fort and expanded over the centuries until it was finally restored to it’s former glory in more recent times. The remains of the original ring-fort may still be seen near the castle. I had the pleasure of taking part in a banquet there a few years ago and it was unforgettable for all the right reasons.
Poulnabrone Dolmen. Link to print
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