A colourful record of West Cork villages

A fascination with old houses, and the lives lived within their walls, prompted artist Avril McDermott to paint the towns and villages of west Cork.

She arrived in the region as a visitor in a campervan, but later, buying a house, she saw everything from dilapidated townhouses to remote peninsular cottages. The traditional use of bright colours captured McDermott’s eye, the winding streets flanked by rows of houses nestled among the dips and troughs of the countryside, higgledy piggledy.

The Dublin native bought in a sturdy terraced pile in the centre of the picturesque fishing village of Union Hall. She painted her house a controversial shade of bright yellow. “I just decided that I wanted the most ignorant colour I could find. People used to stop and go, ‘that’s lovely’ or ‘oh, it’s horrible’. But at least it’s a landmark, people know I’m here.”