The coming week is going to be a busy one for Judy Rhatigan. Riverside Drive resident Judy will be exhibiting her wonderful art at Bollards of Kieran Street which coincides with The Kilkenny Arts festival.
The exhibition- The Linear Way- offers an escape from routine life and the cluttered mind. Judy captures the natural beauty of of the river , its comforting flow, and the wildflower meadows in bloom.
If anyone needs to know what exactly that beauty entails then a look at the Autumn leaves and the many birds of nature including the heron and kingfisher will explain all.
This week, Judy sat down with the ‘Kilkenny Observer’ to speak of her art and the magic it creates inside of her.
“I absolutely love the linear walk and the wonders and colours it throws out every day. Whether in sunshine or on a damp day, the outstanding beauty is something I will never get enough of”, said Judy.
When asked to expand on what a walker could expect to see on the walk, Judy was only too happy to share her thoughts. “All that is beautiful. The tranquil murmur of the river is complemented by acres of wildflowers, rushes, sally switches hazelnut groves purple sloes and rose hip berries of orange and red. And that”, enthused Judy “is what attracted me to capture all of that in my art”
Apart from her paintings, Judy has enjoyed success as a writer and poet.
In 2019, she published her memoir’ Beyond the Briary Wood’ which captured her journey through life and stories from her childhood.
It is a memoir about growing up in the fifties and sixties, about a life that few of today’s generation would understand.
The book is a beautiful read that evokes some wonderful memories of days long gone. It paints a picture of a time in Ireland, that for the most part is long forgotten and for that very reason, it is an important book. To quote the author, “I told stories that were lodged inside me, and now I have told people who they are and where they come from”.
Judy will be the first to tell you that writing a book was never really on the horizon for her and surprised herself by producing her first book.
This was soon followed (2020) by her book of poetry -The Raggedy Bush Poems-
GREY HAT
One of the authors first attempts at writing poetry was when she presented “The Grey Hat” to a poetry class, which was written on the back of a cigarette box. The same poem was later selected to be include in a collection of poetry chosen by the Kilkenny Arts Office and appears in her new book.
The first three lines of The Grey Hat reads
“They stand at the Church gate
The men with the Grey hats,
One man who is my father.”
In 2020, Judy began working on that book of poetry and two years later, the eighty plus page publication came to fruition.
Speaking to ‘The Kilkenny Observer Newspaper’ Judy explained that in some ways the poetry book was an extension of Beyond The Briary Wood.
“ It contains poems of life in Ireland of the forties and fifties”, explained the author.
She continued “It recounts stories of a life without the luxuries we all take for granted today such as electricity, running water, transportation, while at the same time enjoying the beauty of country life”.
The collection reflects poems from her childhood, and various ramblings from her life’s journey.
It is a book that reads very well and one which creates some wonderful imagery, of nature, old customs and countryside.
There are touches of Kavanagh and Heaney that come through as you make your way through the eighty plus page publication.
Taking the title from her previous book, The Briary Wood is a wonderful example of Judy’s work.
THE BRIARY WOOD
An old bent bed fills the gap
Of a mean old field beyond.
No plains of rich green grass .
Just swamps of reeds underfoot.
No Racehorse, mare or foal,
Furze bushes with garden blossoms,
Briars with berries, black and green.
No lake with swans and lilies
Just deep dykes with dark water.
Deep in its heart, the worlds blossoms
Glow and grow so free
In this wooded field, we snared and hunted rabbits,
Wild winds blow the seeds about.
Tread softly in this wood.
It is Gods creation.
Aoife will be there
And just to show the artistic apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, Aoife Rhatigan will join Judy and exhibit some of her own work.
Aoife is a final year student at Limerick School of Art & Design studying animation. She is passionate about art and design and excited for her upcoming exhibition with her grandmother Judy. She will be selling prints as well as some original pieces, and is looking forward to meeting anyone who wants to pop in for a look!
Judy and Aoife will run their exhibition at Bollards on Kieran Street from August 9th.
