Dublin
Every journey starts somewhere and mine starts in Dublin, Ireland.
This Chapter is a love letter to the places, people, and memories that root us before we embark on new adventures. But most importantly, it’s about Dublin itself, the city that has shaped my roots and inspired my art. Dublin is a city of stories; of love, of history, and of change. Dublin isn’t just where I live. It’s where I find myself every day.
This Chapter will come in 3 Parts: In this first Part, you’ll find the iconic Poolbeg Chimneys, a sun-kissed sunrise from Sandymount Beach and an Irish hare, swift and sure, like a whisper from ancient stories. In the second part, you’ll find the iconic Ha’penny bridge, a pint of Guinness and a Heron standing tall as it watches over the banks of Dublin. In the third part, you’ll find St. Stephens Green and it’s frequent inhabitants.
These are the places and memories that remind me…. before we go anywhere, we belong somewhere and that somewhere, full of history, magic, and heart, will always call me home.
Part 1 - Home
COMPÁS (Compass)
Anyone from Ireland will be familiar with these iconic landmarks. Although no longer in use, the Poolbeg Chimneys stand tall, reminding us of a Dublin that has transformed.
For me, living near the docks, they are stitched into my daily life visible every morning and every evening from my house. As one of the first sights you see when you fly into Dublin they act like a compass guiding us home.
“No matter where life takes you, home is stitched into your fingerprints. A constant reminder of where you come from.”
ÉIRIGH (RISE)
One morning during Covid while out for a run on Sandymount Beach, I stopped still, caught by the rising sun setting the whole sky alight. Highlighting the Chimneys in the distance, tall, strong and resilient.
In Irish, "Éirigh" (eye- rig) means "Rise" and that’s exactly what the morning felt like, hope rising, dreams rising, spirits lifting. Reminding me that every day is a new day with an abundance of possibilities no matter how you may be feeling in the moment.
“Even the heaviest falls can’t hold you down. Every stumble carries you closer to your strength. Stand tall, you were always built to soar.”
WILD
In Irish folklore, the hare or Giorria (guh-ree-ah) in Irish is often associated with shapeshifting and is believed to have the ability to transform into human form. This ability links the hare to the Otherworld and the fairy realm, often seen as a messenger or guide between worlds. The hare is also connected to the moon and Celtic goddesses, particularly those of fertility and the harvest. For centuries, it appeared on our old Irish three pence coin. This painting honors that wild spirit, the way it links us to nature, to myth, and to our deepest selves.
“You were never meant to fit in. You were born to run free, to move to the beat of your drum. Stay true to who you are, your magic lies in your wildness.”
Part 2 - Connection
Available from 21st Feb 2026
GRÁ (LOVE)
Grá (pronounced graw) is the Irish word for love. For me, the Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin carries a very personal meaning. It was here, on our first date at a comedy gig in the Ha’penny Bridge pub, that something began…. a meeting that would grow into marriage, family, and the life we now share. Since then, this bridge holds great meaning for me two people connecting, two paths meeting in the middle and choosing to move forward together.
In a city shaped by crossings, the bridge stands quietly over the river Liffey, a constant reminder that love isn’t about grand gestures, its about showing up again and again and again.
As with all my pieces, it is accompanied by a poem:
“In a world of maybes, you were the certainty. Through laughter and storms, you stood steady, a bridge between where I was and where I was always meant to be.”
SLÁINTE (CHEERS)
Sláinte (pronounced slawn-cha) is the Irish word for “health,” most often raised in a toast among friends and commonly understood to mean “cheers.” Yet in Irish culture, it is more than a simple expression. It carries a quiet blessing: a wish for wellbeing, longevity, and shared joy.
In Ireland, life’s moments are rarely marked by grand ceremony, but by gathering around a table, in a corner of a pub, where stories unfold in laughter and bonds are strengthened through rituals repeated over time. This painting honours those shared evenings I’ve spent with family and friends: a pint of Guinness with my Mum, Christmas Eve pints with friends, or “just the one” with my husband to which he replies, “You can’t fly on one wing.”
Sláinte is a celebration of connection, togetherness, and the simple act of raising a glass to one another.
As with all my pieces, it is accompanied by a poem:
“ To you, to me, to us, to stories carried in laughter, kindness held in quiet moments and the time that sealed the bond.”
STELLA
Stella is not a quiet painting. She stands tall, loud, self-assured and unapologetic. A little sass, a little style, and entirely her own. As I painted her, I felt she carried the energy of someone who refuses to shrink: bold, protective, and unwavering. In my mind she became almost regal, a watchful presence with nothing to prove and everything to give.
Her name means “light,” and that feels important to me. Stella was inspired by a heron who visited our neighbour each day when we lived in Stella Gardens in Ringsend during Covid. He would feed her sardines, and she would wait patiently steady, dignified, and certain. Even now, living near the canals, herons are constant companions on my walks. They appear in fog and sunshine, watchful and composed, as if quietly witnessing the rhythm of our lives.
To me, she represents constancy; the people and moments that remain steady through change. She is strength without noise, presence without demand. A reminder that even in shifting seasons, there is always something (or someone) holding light for us.
“Through silent waters, steady and true, a watchful presence seeing me through. In fog and sunlight, constant and near, a quiet reminder you were always here.”