1916 Portraits and Lives Exhibition

1916 Portraits and Lives Exhibition at Sean Hollywood Arts Centre

As part of the ‘Decade of Centenaries’, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is supporting a district-wide series of events, talks, performances and reflections in relation to the 1916 Rising. ‘1916 Portraits and Lives’, a travelling exhibition on loan from National Museums Northern Ireland, will be on display in the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, Newry until 12 May.

The artist David Rooney, whose artwork has featured in The Irish Times, the Folio Society, London and in Cultural Centres such as the Stonehenge Visitor Centre and the Titanic Experience in Belfast, has been commissioned by the Royal Irish Academy and Office of Public Works of Ireland to illustrate a book creating scraperboard portraits of each of the featured individuals resulting are the striking reproductions that can be seen in the exhibitions on show.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Mickey Ruane welcomed Paddy Gilmore, National Museums Northern Ireland, Jeff Wilson, Royal Irish Academy and Marie Ward, Director, ERT Department to the launch of the exhibition. 

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Mickey Ruane said, “The portraits on show here in Newry represent a compelling narrative of the Rising and are based on the Royal Irish Academy’s Dictionary of Irish Biography project.  We are pleased to have secured this exhibition as it tours throughout Ireland.”

Councillor Ruane continued, “I would like to all of those involved for ensuring that these excellent works can be enjoyed here in the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre. This exhibition is one of many opportunities for the people of the district to engage with the stories and personalities directly related to the 1916 Easter Rising and I am glad that the Council has supported the commemoration of this pivotal event in this significant year”.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees for National Museums Northern Ireland, Miceal McCoy said, “Following a successful period in the Ulster Museum, we are pleased that this interesting exhibition is now on display in Newry. Visitors to this exhibition found it insightful and informative as it depicts the people whose lives were, in one way or another, deeply involved in the Easter Rising. I have no doubt visitors to the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre will gain new insights into this significant event in history as a result of this exhibition.”