An Lios Dúchas

Comments by Nuala Uí Dhomhnaill, on the opening of an Exhibition of Oil Paintings by Mick Flaherty, The Kenny Gallery, 17th August 2001

"A kind of Tír Na nÓg. It really is a magical place this whole area - An Lios Dúchas it's called.

One of the things that totally overwhelms the place is the presence of Mount Brandon itself and this has become so important in Mick's work. A muse, a focussing of artistic energy, which might otherwise be dissipated.

Naipaul said something that suddenly struck me as very apropos which was "No city or landscape is truly real until it has been given the quality of myth by a writer or painter, or its association with great events." The way Mick is dealing with the Brandon area is part of this mythologizing, the making of this area very special.

These paintings are a witness to the extraordinary magic of this area. The thing about West Kerry is it is all panorama. Michael effectively conveys a sense of panoramic space by simplifying his subjects rather than getting bogged down by fussy details.

These paintings have a particular importance and a particular grace. They have to do with the intertwining of the magic of the place itself, the intrinsic magic of the place, and Mick's sort of genius in making that clear on canvas."