Cill Rialaig Artists Residency, Ireland
It all began with a long car journey, crossing the water between Ireland and the UK, and heading off west from Rosslaire into a different world.
Ireland feels different; there’s so much space. Bright yellow gorse in the fields and hedges, ponies, no service stations…
Stopping off in Waterford and Killarney on the five-hour journey west to the Kerry coast, I finally reached Ballinskelligs and climbed the hillside to Cill Rialaig Arts Centre and the cottages that make up the artists’ residency.
These are rebuilt from the ruins of a small pre-famine village on a wild, open hillside looking down on the Atlantic. Cill Rialaig is dedicated to making space for artists, to recharge and reflect, with no need for outcomes.
The inside of my cottage was basic but lovely, and a glass roof over a large table at the end of the room created a perfect studio area. A woodburner and small shower and kitchen make it cosy but I wouldn’t want to be here in the winter!
In the village of Ballinskelligs, a 15-minute drive away, there is the Cill Rialaig print shop, which is spacious and well-equipped for monoprinting and etching. If you pre-book, it’s available to be used as much as you need.
I used this time for reflection on my practice, dreaming, doodling and writing… I was fascinated by the layers of stories of those who had lived in this landscape before.
The tradition of the practice of spiritual contemplation all along this coast was especially evident on the islands of the Skelligs, where 6th century monks’ cells and a monastery are still standing. Also, more recently, the lives of the people who lived in this village, and how my presence and thoughts and what I might do to connect to them in some way, occupied my thoughts.
I wandered on the beaches and slept when the wind wasn’t too wild.
I met some really interesting artists, a musician, a writer, an architect, but mostly life was quiet and brief chats were welcome treasures.
I recommend this to any artists who feel like some time away in a very different landscape. The application process is easy and the people are friendly and welcoming.
Thanks a million to the team that keeps Cill Rialaig running and especially to its founder, Noelle Cambell-Sharpe. This is a really magical and otherworldly place. Anyone out there who feels like applying, go for it!
Here are a few prints I made whilst there, using monoprinting as a way to rapidly translate thoughts and feelings into a visual language. I kept a diary with doodles and thoughts which I hope will sprout into something bigger. Back in Bristol now, its great to be home but a part of me feels like it hasn’t finished at Cill Rialaig and the huge skies and seas and the difference in feeling of that place.
