Leanne McDonagh
Kinship
RTÉ
Nature & Nurture
Leanne McDonagh
Like-Minded Lacks
Leanne McDonagh
Kith & Kin
Leanne McDonagh
“Among many Travellers, KINSHIP is seen as the most important thing and it has long been a dominant feature of our community. It is one of the more traditional aspects that I believe will stand the test of time. Our family bonds, connections and our relationships to each other is what has held our community together throughout all the years of discrimination and marginalisation that we have faced. Our KINSHIP is our resilience and the images captured for the Illuminations exhibition are inspired by this concept. Living through the Covid 19 pandemic I believe that the importance of family has been heightened furthermore, as we, like everybody else, experienced what it was like to be separated from our loved ones and support systems. Therefore, I wanted to create images that subtly captured the essence of these relationships in a way that all mankind could relate to, regardless of race, colour or creed, and by doing so portraying a sense of togetherness and a sense of community, as we are all in this together!”
Artist At Work
Leanne McDonagh
Leanne McDonagh
Leanne McDonagh is a Traveller woman currently living in Cork. She grew up on a halting site, with first-hand experience of the prejudices and misconceptions that society has about Travellers. She is the first artist to portray life from within the Traveller community and her work features on the walls of government buildings. As an artist, she feels she has a unique opportunity to represent and record her community from within. “My work is subtle, contemplative, distinctly modern and entrepreneurial in its approach to presenting various insights to the Traveller community from the rarely seen standpoint of an insider.”