Artlinks Visual Art Bursary

I am absolutely thrilled to have found out that I have been awarded a visual arts bursary from Artlinks and Wexford County Council. I

am incredibly grateful to recieve this award and look forward to sharing my work with you over the course of the year. My new body of work, which will be made with the support of wexford County Council in partnership with Artlinks wIll explore the lives of women who worked in domestic service in big houses in Ireland.

Did you know that In 1881, 48% of all employed women were domestic servants, and even into the twentieth century over 125,000 women remained employed as indoor servants? My interest in this subject is both historical and deeply personal. My great aunt worked as a nanny in a large house in Dublin. She devoted her entire life to the family she served, even turning down a marriage proposal to a man she loved because she did not want to leave the children in her care. She remained in that household until her death. Within our own family, her identity was subsumed by her role; she was known only as “Nana,” and her real name has been lost. This erasure of individual identity reflects the wider experience of many women in domestic service. I want to tell their stories and restore visibility to women whose lives were defined by service and sacrifice. I want to honour these women not as background figures in grand houses, but as central subjects worthy of sustained attention and respect. I will blog about my progress from time to time but also check out my instagram which will also have updates.