Our capital city is steeped in history, and never has this been more evident than in recent months as Dublin prepares to commemorate the Easter Rising of 1916.
And in an effort to add to the rich tapestry already on display, Irish artist Gearoid O’Dea has today unveiled a 35 foot street art installation inspired by the Women of 1916
Helping to mark International Women's Day, ‘Le Chéile I Ngruaig’, which translates as ‘Together in the hair’, the piece can be seen on the corner of South Great George’s Street - the same location as Joe Caslin’s iconic Marriage Equality mural.
Commenting on the significance of the mural which features Countess Markievicz, Margaret Pearse and Grace Gifford-Plunkett - three women who each played an important role in the Easter Rising - Gearoid said: “This 1916 Easter Rising centenary year seems like a great opportunity to re-imagine the kind of Ireland we could live in.”
Offering an insight into the role the three women played in Irish history, Gearoid explained: “Countess Markievicz is the icon. She is often depicted as a revolutionary gure (having taken an active role in the Rising as second in command to Michael Mallin at St Stephen’s Green), but I wanted to portray her in contemplative passivity.”
“Margaret Pearse gave her son, Patrick, to the Rising. Her sacrifice might have been greater than his, her sense of loss more enduring,” he continued. “Grace Gifford-Plunkett was a political cartoonist. Her husband Joseph was executed in Kilmainham Gaol on the day of their marriage."
Paying tribute to these women on a day which seeks to highlight the strength, courage and determination of women all over the world, Gearoid said: “I feel that, taken together, each of these women strike a balance. Each played a different kind of role in the Rising. Some are well remembered, others not.”
“These portraits will be woven together by strands of hair. For me, the texture of the hair suggests a toughness, a gentleness, and something more mysterious. Hair was an important symbol in Celtic mythology, empowering and magical. As a composing element in this piece, it feels right.”
We can't wait to take a look
