Artwork on role of Cork women

A new art exhibition premiered last Wednesday across numerous parts of Cork celebrating the role of Irish women who are pushing barriers across the county.

Spearheaded by Jools Gilson, UCC’s first Professor of Creative Practice, Unveiled Horizon celebrate the roles of six Cork women, all of whom have fascinating stories.

Once such woman is Lieutenant Commander Erika O’Leary of the Irish Naval Service, and one of the first female naval captains, who’s naval ship is about to set out for the Mediterranean, where it will be picking up migrants crossing from Libya to Italy.

Other portraits focus on Nura Hagi, an Irish citizen who fled the Somali Civil War and made Ireland her adopted home.

Other women presented at the exhibition include Carmen Burns, a woman who completed the Lee Swim despite only learning to swim eight months previously, boat builder Elisenda Camaano, student and Government of Ireland India scholarship recipient Samar Khan and grandmother Mary Bishop, founder of domestic violence centre mnafeasa.

Jools Gilson, UCC Professor of Creative Practice said of the art exhibition “Its been extraordinary doing interviews and photoshoot’s with this group of women based in Cork- hearing their stories and developing their portraits with them. Over the course of one day, we visited the naval base in Haulbowline to work with Lieutenant Commander Erika O’Leary, who wanted her portrait taken on board a naval ship about to leave to pick up migrants crossing from Libya to Italy, followed by a chilly swim in Myrtleville, where we photgraphed a retired nurse, who went from non swimmer to doing the Lee Swim in eight months,” Gilson said.

The artwork will be on display for the Cork Midsummer festival from June 16-25.