Thank You from Feile na mBan, Bundoran.

Written By Maria Noonan-McDermott

Wow… what a weekend. And to see it all immortalised on TG4 was simply magical.
www.tg4.ie. (Feile na mBan)

It has been another Brigid’s Weekend to remember, brought together by the fabulous community here in Bundoran who make it all happen. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who makes Féile na mBan so special each year.

We’ll be back for more in 2027.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Opening of Between Winter and Wonder, the Féile na mBan Art & Poetry Event, held this year in the newly named Marc Geagan Suite at Bundoran Community Centre.

On behalf of myself, Maria Noonan-McDermott and the wonderful group of participating artists and poets Gillian Wright, Maria Mollohan, Sherrie Scott, Marion Rose McFadden, Deborah Stockdale, Yvonne Carey, Susan Farrell, Fiona O’Grady, Kim Sharkey, Eye-Dye, Róise Ní Bhaoill and Maureen Onwunali, thank you sincerely. Your presence meant a great deal not only to those involved but to the wider community and to the spirit of Féile na mBan itself.

It was a joy to share the stage with such beautiful poets, each enthralling us with their unique voice. Róise Ní Bhaoill and Maureen Onwunali read as Gaeilge, Eye-Dye shared work from his first collection Wax Poetic: A Chronicle of Sleepless Nights and Sherrie Scott closed the evening with powerful spoken-word poetry.

This year’s Art & Poetry Event was presented in association with Poetry Ireland, marking a very welcome partnership within the programme.

We are deeply grateful to Barry Sweeney and Teresa O’Neill for so generously making this beautiful space available for the weekend and for their continued help and support.

Our thanks also go to the Féile na mBan Committee for their encouragement and commitment, particularly Dr Niamh Hamill, John O’Connell and Aidan Given whose support helps make weekends like this possible.

A massive bualadh bos as well to the TG4 production crew for covering the events this year.

On St Brigid’s Weekend we celebrate more than a date in the calendar. St Brigid represents renewal, creativity, care for community and a deep connection to the land, standing between Winter and Spring and reminding us of resilience, hope and the power of making and sharing together. That spirit sits at the very heart of these events.

My heartfelt thanks once again. I hope you enjoyed the shared celebration that the Féile na mBan weekend had to offer.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

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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