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Artistic Director Jonathan Kelliher, Lisa McElligott from the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board of Directors Seán Murphy, artist Henk Heideveld, and Executive Director Róisín McGarr receiving a donation of the artist’s portrait of Siamsa Tíre’s founder, Fr Pat Ahern.
DUTCH artist Henk Heideveld marked the end of his recent exhibition at Siamsa Tíre by donating his portrait of the National Folk Theatre of Ireland’s founder, Father Pat Ahern, to the theatre.
The presentation is timely in the light of Fr Pat Ahern receiving the Kerry Association in Dublin Arts Award this week.
The artwork had been on display as part of ‘God’s First Name is Art’, an exhibition of paintings which included seminal figures from Irish culture. Featured portraits included Peadar Ó Riada, President Michael D. Higgins, and Fr Ahern.
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The exhibition was due to open at Siamsa Tíre when Covid hit in 2020. It was rescheduled several times but on each occasion the country went back into lockdown.
Róisín McGarr, Executive Director of Siamsa Tíre, thanked the artist for his gift. “After two years of delays, the opening night of this exhibition represented the turning point for us in reopening after covid.”
“It has been wonderful to finally host Henk’s impactfulwork. The artist’s generous donation of the portrait of Siamsa Tíre’s founder gives us a memento to remember this watershed moment in Siamsa’s story, as well as a fitting tribute to the man who started that story fifty years ago. We are so grateful to Henk for his boundless positivity and generosity, and we know that visitors will enjoy his work here in the building,” she says.
