Bere Island: Exhibition in old army hall shows off artistic talent of Cork islands
Mary K Sullivan organises the visual arts strand of Bere Island Arts Festival. Picture: Picture Dan Linehan
Anyone with a connection to West Cork and its islands will be intrigued by a new exhibition that opens this Thursday (Sept 19) at Bere Island Arts Festival. The 7 Islands Art Exhibition runs at what is surely the most unusual gallery space in the county; the Drill Hall at Rerrin, at the east end of the island, which was built by the British admiralty in 1915 and is now owned by the Irish Army.
The 7 Islands exhibition is curated by Mary K Sullivan, one of the three Bere Island women who launched the festival in September last year, with each taking charge of the artform closest to their hearts. Sullivan, a graduate of the DIT Sherkin Island BA Visual Arts programme who won the RDS Taylor Art Award for her degree show in 2018, organises the visual arts events; Beara Community School principal Pauline Hurley organises the literary talks and workshops; while Wild Atlantic Glamping proprietor Caitríona Hanley organises the musical performances.
