LATEST PAINTINGS - PEACEFUL PAINTINGS

This first image below is inspired by Eamhain Mhacha in Ireland:

Navan Fort – known in Old Irish as Eṁaın Ṁacha (pronounced [ˈeṽənʲ ˈṽaxə]) and in Modern Irish as Eamhain Mhacha ([ˈaw̃nʲ ˈw̃axə]) – is an ancient monument in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to Irish legend, it was one of the major power centers of pre-Christian Ireland. The site that can be seen today is little more than a grass-covered mound, but according to the Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, "the [Eamhain Mhacha] of myth and legend is a far grander and mysterious place than archeological excavation supports".^[1]

Although called a "fort", it is considered more likely to have been a pagan ritual or ceremonial site. It is often regarded as the traditional capital of the Ulaidh. It also features prominently in Irish mythology, particularly in the tales of the Ulster Cycle.

According to Irish mythology and historical tradition it was the capital of the Ulaid, the people who gave their name to the province of Ulster. It was supposedly founded by the goddess Macha in the 7th or 5th century BC, and was the seat of Conchobar mac Nessa in the tales of the Ulster Cycle. Conchobar is said to have had three houses at Eṁain Ṁacha:

• the Cróeb Ruad ("Dull Red Branch", whence derives the nearby townland of Creeveroe) where the king sat;
• the Cróeb Derg ("Bright Red Branch"), where trophies of battle were kept, and
• the Téte Brecc ("Speckled Hoard") where the warriors' weapons were stored.

Many of the most famous names in Irish mythology are associated with Eṁain Ṁacha and the Red Branch warriors.

• Amergin the poet
• Cú Chulainn, the great warrior
• Emer, his strong-willed and beautiful bride
• Conall Cernach (Conall the Victorious), his foster-brother and close friend
• Lóegaire, another warrior
• Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster
• Cathbad, the chief druid
• Fergus mac Róich, another great warrior and king
• Deirdre of the Sorrows, the most beautiful woman in Ireland, and Naoise, her brave lover
• Leabharcham, the wise woman

The name Eṁain Ṁacha is variously explained as "Macha's neck-brooch", after Macha marked out the boundaries of the site with her brooch, and "Macha's twins", after Macha gave birth to twins after being forced to compete in a chariot-race. The Annals of the Four Masters record that it was abandoned after it was burned by the Three Collas in 331 AD, after they had defeated Fergus Foga, king of Ulster, in battle at Achadh Leithdheirg.

 

 

The female figure in the above image is inspired by the Irish Goddess Macha:

Macha (Irish pronunciation: [ˈmaxə]) is a goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war, horses, sovereignty, and the sites of Armagh and Emain Macha in County Armagh, which are named after her. A number of figures called Macha appear in Irish mythology, legend and historical tradition, all believed to derive from the same deity.

 

 

This image is a simple portrayal of love, both of each other 

and of the land and the place that you belong to.

I know that sounds very romatic, but place is very important to me

and I feel a strong connection to the land and different places affect me.

Missing my connection to the land I feel most connected too and

learning how to live without that..........

Wanting to belong......

 

 

I am not sure about this picture, I feel thing it will be

quite good when I finish it,

but I also know it will be quite time consuming and

is something I have to work upto.......

 In this picture she has an obvious connection to the forest

and is just in a quite moment of contemplation........

Not very complicated which is something I think

I am trying to portray in my latest pieces, this

sense of peace and coming home......