Feile na mBan 2024

Written By Maria Noonan-McDermott

What a fantastic turnout to our second Feile na Mban Art and Poetry Opening on Friday evening in the Rougey Suite, Bundoran, Co. Donegal, as we paid tribute to the Spirit of St. Brigid.

On behalf of myself Maria Noonan-McDermott and my extended little troop of Artists, Catherine McGagh, Róise McGagh, Miriam Doran, Brigid Birney, Gillian Wright, Marion Rose McFadden, Sherrie Scott and Benita Wolfe, I'd like to thank all who attended the Opening and continued to attend the workshops over the three days. They were all sold out.

We joined together to celebrate the diversity of voices and perspectives that make our artistic community so vibrant and dynamic, reminding us of the beauty that exists in our differences and the immeasurably strength that emerges from unity.

We hope that the paintings spoke to your soul and that the poems resonate in your hearts, for it is through art that we connect and truly uplift one another.

We would like to thank Danielle and Teresa from Bundoran Community Centre for all their support and for the use of the fabulous space. We wish to sincerely thank Derek McDermott for hanging the show, we couldn't have done it without him. We thank Joshua and Bianca for running the raffle and a very special thank you, once again to Richard Nelson's and his Jazz Quartet for providing the most glorious, chilled Jazz music during the evening.

We thank Niamh Hamill, John O'Connell, Aidan Given and all the Feile na mBan Festival organisers and all the participating artists.

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Maria Noonan-McDermott

Irish Artist Maria Noonan-McDermott Bio


Originally from Donegal, Irish artist and poet Maria Noonan McDermott now lives and works from her studio in Kinlough, Co. Leitrim.


Heavily influenced by the impressionist movement, her work focuses on the study of light and form in Irish landscapes.

With a love of folklore and story-telling, Noonan McDermott's influences lie in rural Ireland, it is in these magical places that share a colloquial history where stories and the people are often ingrained into the landscape.


I began my artistic career in Dublin in 1985 and qualified in Fashion and Design. I returned to college and completed a certificate in visual education before continuing on to study Fine Art. In the year 1990, I had my first solo exhibition of paintings. The feedback and encouragement I received helped direct me on my current path.


My work has always been influenced by a deep connection with the natural environment, the beautiful rugged Irish landscape with its endlessly changing skies and dramatic seas. I am equally fascinated by the people that the land holds so tightly and am firmly bound in kinship with their poetic writing, their stories and soulful lyrics.


I've always been in awe of the storyteller, those gifted people who so fluidly guide you into their fantasy worlds, who submerge you so deeply, you cry, laugh and often seethe with anger and frustration. To me, this is true magic, possessing the rare skill of creating something from nothing, evoking such passion and emotion.


Growing up I found words didn't come so easily to me, art and writing became my outlet. I was transformed into the 'Cailleach Feasa', the storyteller. I recorded and recollected all the tales from times gone by, breathing life back into places and quirky characters I met along the way.


I was raised in a small village in Donegal and like most small communities in Ireland, it was filled with the most amazing characters.


As a child, my head was filled with fantastical stories told and dramatised by neighbours and family, the gatekeepers of local history. These tales, were, of course, exaggerated and embellished with such fun and gusto, like only true Irish seanchai can, that I couldn't help growing up with a great love of the people around me and all their fascinating antics.


In my work, I narrate the stories with colour and humour as over the years they've formed and shaped in my memory.
My paintings become the text and you the reader and as the reader, you are challenged to participate and choose your own journey. Thus, enabling the story to live all over again!


This attachment is ingrained in my work and I strive to bring forth its warmth in the most honest and pure way I know how.

https://www.marianoonan-mcdermott.com
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