Martin Gale and Charles Tyrrell: A 50-year friendship born of student uprisings and a love of art

"Gale is based in Co Kildare, and Tyrrell in Allihies, on the Beara peninsula in West Cork, but the two have been close friends since they first met, at the National Gallery of Art and Design in 1968."

Sun, 04 Aug, 2024 - 20:00

Marc O’Sullivan Vallig

Martin Gale and Charles Tyrrell are both painters, though their work could hardly be more different; Gale is known for his portrayals of human and animal figures in highly detailed landscape settings, while Tyrrell has stuck resolutely to abstraction throughout his career. Their work can be seen, this month and next, in a joint exhibition called In Parallel at the Sarah Walker Gallery in Castletownbere, Co Cork.

Gale is based in Co Kildare, and Tyrrell in Allihies, on the Beara peninsula in West Cork, but the two have been close friends since they first met, at the National Gallery of Art and Design in 1968. Both remember that NCAD was peaceful enough to begin with. For two years, they attended the practical workshops required of Foundation students before they could proceed to the traditional three-year School of Painting programme.