This magical new exhibition might change your perspective on the River Lee
We see it meandering through the city every day.
But a new exhibition following the course of the River Lee, from its origins in the Shehy Mountains and Gougane Barra in the west to its meeting with the Celtic Sea at the mouth of Cork Harbour in the east, offers a fascinating new look at the waterway.
Now open at Crawford Art Gallery, FROM SOURCE TO SEA spans historic and contemporary artworks from the collection, celebrating the culture of Cork’s mighty Lee and its tributaries.
ohn Carr, Cork from the Mardyke Walk, c.1806. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
Artworks from the 1750s through to the present day are featured in the exhibition. Each painting, drawing, print, and sculpture offers a perspective on the river, the stories it has carried and collected, the places and people it has shaped, and the changes it has inevitably borne.
The exhibition features much-loved paintings, ranging from John Butts’ View of Cork from Audley Place (c.1750) and Whipping the Herring out of Town (c.1800) by Nathaniel Grogan, to George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson’s Paddle Steamer Entering the Port of Cork (1842) and Skellig Night on South Mall (1845) by James Beale.
These are joined by the work of artists Sarah Grace Carr, Kate Dobbin, John Fitzgerald, Robert Gibbings, Patrick Hennessy, Seán Keating, Diarmuid Ó Ceallacháin, and George Petrie.
George Mounsey Wheatley Wheatley Atkinson, Paddle Steamer Entering the Port of Cork, 1842.
Ita Freeney, Jetty, 2021-22. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.
Recent acquisitions by Ita Freeney, Bernadette Kiely, and Donald Teskey offer new contexts, while portraits by Séamus Murphy, Nano Reid, and Eileen Healy recall rich tales from the Lee Valley, including The Tailor and Ansty and the inimitable voice of Cónal Creedon.
“Following our popular exhibitions focusing on Cork city and harbour, it’s been such a pleasure to take a journey along the River Lee itself,” says Michael Waldron, curator of the exhibition.
“I hope visitors will take as much enjoyment in following its course, connecting with the river’s rich history and culture, and maybe even get inspired to take their own stroll at Gougane Barra, Lee Fields, or the Marina.”
FROM SOURCE TO SEA runs from now until September 22nd in the Gibson Galleries at Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place, Cork.
