Crawford Art Gallery

16/10/2026

👻 Crawford Art Gallery is delighted to partner with Creative Bandon and participate in this year’s Bandon Banshee Festival, featuring two events with artist Elizabeth Cope!

Join us on Saturday, 31 October at 1:30pm in Bandon Public Library for an exciting talk, a unique occasion to hear and see Elizabeth as she paints, in conversation with her husband Geoffrey.

On Sunday 1 November from 1pm - 4:30pm, a special painting masterclass with Elizabeth will take place at Bandon Town Hall. This masterclass is a wonderful opportunity to draw on Elizabeth’s skills. It's free to attend, but booking is essential.

🎃 To read more about these events, visit the link in our bio!



CAG.3127 Elizabeth Cope, Generation Gap, 2006, oil on canvas, 211 x 237 cm. Purchased, 2021. © the artist.

15/10/2026

Yesterday was the birthday of Irish sculptor John Hogan and we're celebrating with this beautiful work!

'Hibernia and Brian Boroimhe' (1855) is among the artist’s most political and imaginative works.

The sculpture depicts Hibernia, female personification of Ireland, with a young boy, Brian Boru (c.941-1014), who would become King of Munster and High King of Ireland.

Brian, who holds a down-turned sword suggestive of pacifism, gains a foothold upon a resting Irish wolfhound, recalling the Cú Chulainn myth. Hibernia wears a ‘mural crown’ to indicate sovereignty and, by her side, holds a wreath of oak leaves (akin to a laurel wreath). Next to this, a shamrock-adorned crown lies upturned beside a harp and a scroll bearing the inscription: ‘Victoria [?] Brian Boroimhe Regis Hibernia A.D. MXIV’ (Victory of Brian Boru King of Ireland 1014 A.D.).

In essence, Hogan’s sculpture meditates on legitimate government in the aftermath of An Gorta Mór (Great Irish Famine) and suggests the hope embodied by an emerging generation.

John Hogan (1800-1858) hailed from Tallow, County Waterford and began his career as an apprentice to architect Sir Thomas Deane (1792-1871). Encouraged to pursue training in sculpture at the Cork School of Art, he subsequently moved to Rome in 1824, living and working in the ‘Eternal City’ until 1848 when he relocated to Dublin. His health declined after suffering a stroke in 1855, the year he made Hibernia and Brian Boroimhe.



CAG.0669 John Hogan, Hibernia and Brian Boroimhe, 1855, plaster, 167.5 x 83 x 96 cm. Presented, William Horatio Crawford.

13/10/2026

It’s time for a cheeky crossover! 🍑

Today is the anniversary of Antonio Canova (1757-1822), the leading Neoclassical sculptor of his generation. The origins of our collection can be traced back to a set of plaster casts of Classical sculpture and three of Canova’s own creations.

Today is ALSO the day of a special Hotties in Art event, where Museum Bums co-author Jack Shoulder will be joined in conversation at Waterstone's Cork by our very own Dr. Michael Waldron.

What better way to celebrate both than with this cheeky view of Canova’s Bathing Venus!



CAG.0714 Antonio Canova, Bathing Venus (Venus Italica), c.1816, plaster, 185 x 54 x 56 cm. Transferred, Royal Cork Institution, c.1849. Photo: Jed Niezgoda.

12/10/2026

‘Not hear it?—yes, I hear it, and have heard it. Long—long—long—many minutes, many hours, many days, have I heard it…’ 🕷️💀

We’re continuing our Spooky Season theme with this haunting Harry Clarke illustration of a scene from ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’! 🦇

Created for a deluxe edition of Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Tales of Mystery & Imagination’, Clarke’s watercolour seems to revel in the grotesque body horror of Poe’s story. In the scene, the narrator and his friend, Roderick Usher, are reading by candlelight when they start to hear sounds by Madeline Usher, who was entombed while still alive.

Fun Fact! Not only has Clarke signed and dated this illustration, he also wrote the
above quote from Poe's story on the back.



CAG.0105 Harry Clarke, The Fall of the House of Usher, 1923, pencil and watercolour on paper, 40.7 x 30.7 cm. Purchased, the Artist, 1924 (Gibson Bequest Fund).

11/10/2026

Today is the birthday of Irish artist James Barry!

Born in Cork in 1741, Barry declined to follow in his father’s footseps and become a sailor as he was determined to become an artist. He studied under John Butts, who he credited with giving him a true love of painting.

After moving to London, Barry had a controversial career that marked him as a great but troubled artist. Through his writing and lectures, as well as his art, Barry expressed a belief in the advancement of human civilization through education and political liberty, beliefs which amounted to heresy for many in eighteenth-century Britain. Infamously, he was the only member to be expelled from the Royal Academy of Arts (until 2005) and his controversial views were considered a threat to the political and artistic status quo, despite, ironically, his own hopes of securing royal patronage.



CAG.0373 James Barry, The Prince of Wales in the Guise of St. George, oil on canvas, 238.7 x 147.3 cm. Purchased, 1930.

CAG.0244 James Barry, St. Paul at Tarsus, sepia ink on paper, 49.5 x 36 cm. Presented, Mr N. Orgel, 1955.

10/10/2026

🖼️ Did you miss our Heritage Week talk on conserving and documenting our collection last month?

Fear not! Crawford Art Gallery is pleased to present a recording of our 2026 Heritage Week webinar, now live on our YouTube channel (link in our bio).

Join Conservator Dr. Chiara Chillè and Curator of Collections & Special Projects Dr. Michael Waldron as they delve into the secrets that lie beneath the surface of artworks and the important roles that conservation and documentation play in the gallery. Watch whenever you like!

This work is generously supported by The Heritage Council under the Heritage Stewardship Fund 2026.

07/10/2026

Crawford Art Gallery are incredibly grateful to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for their continued support of our historic redevelopment.

includes a €3.8m increase in funding for National Cultural Institutions who each year welcome more than 4m visitors through their doors to view our National Collections.

For more see link in bio🔗

Mar chuid de tá méadú €3.8m sa mhaoiniú do na Forais Chultúrtha Náisiúnta fógartha, a chuireann fáilte roimh os cionn 4m cuairteoir gach bliain chun na bailiúcháin náisiúnta a fheiceáil.

Breis eolais sa nasc inár mbio🔗

07/10/2026

👻 It's officially spooky season!

All month long, we're diving into the collection for works that are creepy, eerie, atmospheric and perhaps just the right amount of unsettling.

First up: Patrick Graham's Clinical Pretence - Mental Obsession (1982).

What do you see when you look at it? 👁️



CAG.1739 Patrick Graham, Clinical Pretence - Mental Obsession, 1982, oil on canvas, 122 x 91.5 cm. Presented, 1996.

06/10/2026

It's in Ireland, so we're celebrating with this cosmic bit of crockery!



CAG.0784 Spanish Plate or Tazza (with star and crescent moon motif), 18th century, tin-glazed earthenware, diameter 27 cm. Donated, Joseph Stafford Gibson, 1919 (Gibson Bequest).

02/10/2026

UPCOMING CHILDREN'S EVENT! 🎈

📅 Saturday 17 October

Join us for a fun, hands-on adventure across Europe! We’re excited to partner with Cork City Library to host two workshops for young adventurers. Children are invited to explore selected works from our collection and books from the library, imagine exciting journeys, and create their own illustrated ‘Adventure in Europe’ scene through storytelling and artmaking.

⏰️ Workshops for ages 3 - 5 take place from 12pm - 1pm, and workshops for ages 6 - 10 take place from 2pm - 3pm.

🎟️ This event is free, but booking is required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Visit the link in our bio to reserve your space!



CAG. 1513, Alfred Bendiner, Café de la Jeunesse Perdu, 1950, coloured lithograph, 39.00 x 50.50 cm. Presented, 1993.