Never far from his thoughts...

AN EMOTIONAL Wexford historian and writer Nicky Furlong of Drinagh addressing the attendance at the unveiling of a portrait of his late wife Mairéad by the artist Blaise Smith RHA which was commissioned by Wexford County Council and the Friends of the Friends of the Wexford County Council Art Collection of which she was a founder member.

In this photo taken by Wexford photographer Ger Hore, Mairead, a former board member of the Arts Council and Wexford Festival Opera, appears to be keeping a close eye on Nicky as he makes a speech in which he confessed that when he got his first glimpse of the newly-completed painting, ‘the air was sucked out of my lungs and I could not block the tears’.

Nicky praised the power of the Kilkenny-based artist’s talent and told him: ‘You have given us back what we thought we had lost.’ Blaise Smith said the best compliment he received was when Nicky said he felt Mairéad was in the room with him.

Former County Manager Seamus Dooley who set up the County Wexford Art Collection at Mairead’s request back in 1994, said from the lectern as he gazed over at the painting: ‘I feel she is sizing us up and asking what are those people saying about me.’

County Council chairman John Hegarty said he sincerely hoped she would be ‘both pleased and proud’ of what he called the ‘amazing’ portrait which is now hanging in County Hall in Carricklawn as part of the collection which developed and promoted. SEE MARIA PEPPER’S ‘ART & CULTURE’ INSIDE