GROUP 8

(RE-)INTRODUCING OUR MEMBERS

2012-01-26T01:53:00.000-08:00

Group 8 are now nine and to celebrate the arrival of our two new members, Fiona Glynn and John Soden, here are bio notes for each member of the collective:

Tommy Campbell is a sculptor working in the medium of BogOak. He is inspired by his surroundings and the materials he uses. Mainly aself-taught artist, he has had workshops with Dutch sculptor Peter Kooning andthe late Brian Little.

Brendan Greally graduated from GMIT in 1998 with a Diplomain Art & Design and from Crawford College of Art & Design in 1999 witha Degree in Fineart. He is a highly versatile painter who engages with avariety of thematics that share a common thread – that of his immediateenvironment. The artistic treatment of his subject matter is carefully, andconsistently considered in his sophisticated methods of paint application.

Grellan Ganly has a Degree in Art & Design from GMIT.His work is heavily influenced by history, particularly that of Irish folkloreand Celtic mythology. He works in both oil painting and kiln fired ceramics.Both media possess an underlying fluidity and mystery that combine in a waythat constantly challenges the viewer as to the various layers of meaningcontained in his work.

Fiona Glynn is a Textile Artist whograduated with a Degree in Art and Design from GMIT in 2006 and an HonoursDegree in textiles from GMIT in 2007. She also completed a H. Dip Art Educationin Crawford College of Art and Design. Her main area of inspiration is thenatural landscape and the intermingling of nature with modern building andtechnology. She works primarily in the medium of textiles and predominantlythrough machine free hand embroidery.

Joyce Little is a visual artist working in the medium of paint, print andinstallation. Her area of interest is that of the contemporary woman. Her workis thought provoking, culturally critical and at times irreverently humorous andsatirical. She studied in Grafton Academy of Fashion Design, NCAD, GMIT, and she holds an MA in Visual Arts Practice from IADT. She recentlyattained a Diploma in Youth Arts from NUI Maynooth.

Zara Little-Campbell is a writer fromBallinasloe. She attained an MA in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Carmarthen in Wales. Her poetry has been published in Sigla and Crannóg. Sheco-edited Rewind and a selection ofher poetry was published in the same anthology. Zara won the Jonathan SwiftAward for poetry in 2008 with her poem ‘Sycamore Trees’ and was shortlisted forthe Short Story Award in 2009.

Nuala Ní Chonchúir is ashort story writer, novelist and poet, born in Dublin and living in Ballinasloe.Her third poetry collection The JunoCharm is just out from Salmon Poetry. Her fourth short story collection Mother America will be published by NewIsland in May 2012. Nuala’s story ‘Peach’, in the current issue of PrairieSchooner, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. www.nualanichonchuir.com

JohnSoden was born in 1973. He is a self taught artistand from an early age had a keen interest in drawing and painting. He studiedArt at Leaving Cert level at St. Joseph’s College, Ballinasloe. John paints inoils which are best suited to his impressionistic and expressive style ofpainting. He has exhibited pieces at the Kilconnell Community Arts Event in2010 and held a solo exhibition of his work in April 2011, as part of the EastGalway Art Trail. John also exhibited paintings in Anton’s café, Galway inSeptember 2011.

Úna Spain graduated from GMIT in 1997 with a Diplomain Art & Design and was awarded an Honours Degree in Photography from DITin 2009. Her most recent body of work consists of photography, Super 8 film anda limited edition artists book collectively entitled Marking Time which looked at three ‘erstwhile’ sites in Ballinasloeand people formerly associated with them. The critic Aidan Dunne described thiswork as a ‘brilliant, composite insight into the social and psychologicalreality of change on a local scale in Ireland’ (Irish Times, June 17, 2009). Úna exhibited at Tulca and The KennyGallery in 2011.

GROUP 8 NOMINATED FOR A HERITAGE AWARD

2012-01-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

We have been nominated for a Heritage Award in Galway County (big thanks to whoever it was who nominated us!). We are toddling along to the awards ceremony this Thursday in The Meadowcourt Hotel, Loughrea. We'll let you know if we emerge triumphant!

In other news, group member Nuala Ní Chonchúir is running a fiction workshop this Saturday on behalf of Group 8, in Ballinasloe. The workshop is fully booked and has a waiting list, and Nuala is looking forward to spending Saturday morning working on fiction writing with the 12 participants.

More news soon on our forthcoming exhibition 'Made in Ballinasloe' which will run for a week from March the 10th in Hayden's Hotel.

GROUP 8 RECONVENES

2011-10-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

We reconvened last month after our summer break and we are raring to go with our new project 'Made in Ballinasloe'. We will each produce work to this theme which we will exhibit next March (2012) at our annual exhibition. Watch this space!

We hope to have a literary event in January 2012 - details to be tightened up and announced anon.

We are delighted to welcome our newest members, Fiona Glynn who is a Textile Designer, and painter John Soden, to the group. Watch out for their wonderful work in March.

PÁDRAIG LENIHAN ON THE BATTLE OF AUGHRIM

2011-08-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is from Eoin Purcell's The Irish Story site. Historian Pádraig Lenihan talks about the Battle of Aughrim. Go here for the links to the audios.

ATHLONE LAUNCH PICS - July 2011

2011-07-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

We had our launch of Ten Square Miles in Athlone last night. Big thanks to John Donohue who launched the exhibition for us and to Gearóid O'Brien for hosting the exhib, which now runs until the end of July. Thanks too to all those who turned out to support us, including the local press and radio.

The exhibition set up in the Aidan Heavey Library, Athlone

Úna Spain & Joyce Little, preparing for the launch

Gearóid O'Brien of Athlone Library

John Donohue with Joyce Little and Tommy Campbell

Gearóid and friend

John Donohue launching Ten Square Miles

Nuala Ní Chonchúir reading at the launch, with daughter Juno

A woman enjoying Úna Spain's photographs

AUGHRIM & ATHLONE - Ten Mile2 prepares to travel

2011-06-28T03:26:00.000-07:00

AUGHRIM:
Group 8 are taking part in the Week of Welcomes in Aughrim, County Galway, on Thursday the 30th of June in the Aughrim Interpretative Centre, with the exhibition, Ten Mile2.
Opening: 5.30pm.

ATHLONE:
We will also launch the exhibition, Ten Mile2, on Thursday the 7th July at 7pm in the Aidan Heavey Public Library, Church Street, Athlone. The exhibition will run for the month of July at the library and admission is free.

Ten Mile2 is the result of collaborative work the group undertook, responding to the Battle of Aughrim in 1691, where up to 9,000 people were killed. Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Jacobite/Williamite War. This battle took place five miles from Ballinasloe in an area of ten square miles.

Group 8 is comprised of five visual artists, two writers and one singer: Joyce Little – visual and multimedia artist; Tommy Campbell – sculptor; Grellan Ganly – visual artist; Úna Spain – visual artist; Brendan Grealy – visual artist; Nuala Ní Chonchúir – writer; Zara Little-Campbell – writer; and Lee Ní Chinnéide – singer.

Ten Mile2, and its accompanying catalogue, will be launched on the night. All are welcome to come and see sculpture, photography, installations, textile work and paintings; listen to live poetry, and prose, and enjoy a glass of wine.

TEN SQUARE MILES - OPENING PICS

2011-03-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

Our opening was a great success on Saturday night and the exhibition continues all this week, 11am to 6pm daily. Free admission. Here are a selection of pictures from the night.

Juno McLoughlin

One half of The Lunar Jazz Ensemble

Lee Ní Chinnéide

Tommy Campbell and Joyce Little; Úna's work in the background

Zara Little-Campbell

Joshua Little-Campbell & friend

Grellan Ganly & Ber O'Halloran

Ella Grealy & Aisling Murphy, admiring Brendan's work

Naoise Murphy & Finn Dillon

Tommy strikes a deal over the bog oak dog

Juno & Finbar McLoughlin

Nuala Ní Chonchúir & Úna O'Connor

Úna Spain & friend

John Dillon, with Grellan's work

Martina Finn & Matty Ganly

People enjoying the art and wine

Nuala with her art book, Joyce and Tommy's work behind

SNEAK PREVIEW - THE SET-UP

2011-03-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

Tommy Campbell hanging Grellan Ganly's work

Tomorrow night is our launch of Ten Square Miles. Today was/is set-up day. Here are some pics and a sneak preview of some of the work.

Grellan and Brendan Grealy assessing the space

Bonding: Úna Spain and Juno McLoughlin

Ceramic bronzed head sculpture - by Grellan Ganly

Úna and Brenadan, making decisions

Grellan fixing one of his paintings

Úna deciding where to hang what - Juno looking on

The tools of the trade

Nuala Ní Chonchúir's photo book in situ

EXHIBITION LAUNCH - 12th March 2011

2011-03-02T02:34:00.000-08:00

Group 8 will launch our latest exhibition, Ten Mile2, which is inspired by the historic Battle of Aughrim in 1691, on Saturday the 12th March at 7pm in Hayden's Hotel. Join us for a glass of wine and music from The Lunar Jazz Ensemble.

Ten Mile2 will run from the 12th March to the 19th March, 11am to 6pm daily, including St Patrick's Day. This weeklong exhibition will consist of original sculpture, installation, photography, painting and writing.

Free admission. All welcome.

VISIT TO AUGHRIM

2011-02-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a group visit to the interpretative centre at Aughrim on Sunday, which the curator very kindly opened for us especially. We have chosen Aughrim and its famous 1691 battle as the jumping off point for our next collaborative exhibition. Watch this space!

POETRY NIGHT 2010, GULLANE'S - PICS

2010-11-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Group 8's poetry night featuring Mary Mullen and Patrick Chapman on Friday was a great success. Both readers were warm and interesting and read fine, thought-provoking work. The audience were appreciative and enjoyed the Q&A and signing with the writers at the end. Audience and writers adjourned to the Library Room bar downstairs afterwards for drinks and chats.

Thanks to all who came and we look forward to bringing more fantastic Irish writers to Ballinasloe. Huge thanks to Gullane's for hosting the event. Photos below!

Poet Mary Mullen

Poet Patrick Chapman

Nuala Ní Chonchúir, introducing the poets

Lily Mullen, deep in thought

Mary Mullen, answering audience questions

Juno McLoughlin, enjoying the poetry

INVITE TO OUR POETRY EVENING, 26TH NOV

2010-11-18T03:35:00.000-08:00

And, our event made it into the pages of the Westmeath Independent today too here.

MARY MULLEN INTERVIEW

2010-11-08T01:08:00.000-08:00

On Friday the 26th of November, Group 8 are hosting a poetry reading with writers Patrick Chapman and Mary Mullen. The reading will take place in Gullane's Hotel, Ballinasloe at 7pm. Admission FREE.

Today we have an interview with Mary to give readers a flavour of the poet before she joins us in Ballinasloe. We ran a similar interview with Patrick last week.

Mary Mullen is a writer who lives in Ballinderreen, Co. Galway, with her daughter Lily. Zephyr, a collection of poems about Mary's childhood in Alaska and mothering Lily, a lively Galway girl who has Down syndrome, is published by Salmon Poetry. Poet Geraldine Mills said about Zephyr, 'I have never read a book with so much love in it.'

Hi Mary. Tell us a little about your new poetry collection Zephyr (Salmon, 2010).

It’s poetry about childhood, motherhood, lifehood, love. It is set in three exotic landscapes: south central Alaska, south Co. Galway, and the real world of a sparkly girl who has Down syndrome, my daughter Lily.

Why do you write?

Because I have to. My head and my heart and my spirit would explode if I didn’t.

What’s your writing process? Morning or night? Longhand or laptop? etc.

I envy and applaud people who have set times for writing. I’m a bit short on organizational skills for myself. I’m always flying by the seat of my pants. I don’t write every day. I give myself a day or two a week, usually the weekends, for reading or walking or scrubbing out the bins or whatever. Writing does not just pour out of me. My best lines come when I am picking blackberries or waiting in a queue. Some ideas simmer in my head for months before they appear on paper. A year or two of chiseling gets the words close to right.

Children with special needs absorb a tremendous amount of time just taking them to all their medical and therapeutic appointments. Lily had a little ‘accident’ with her braces (with the help of a fork and hand-leverage any dentist would admire), so it’s back to the orthodontist early tomorrow morning. I’m not complaining. The subject of ‘writing time’ always gets me going on a journey that usually includes a brief stop-over at a little pity party about the intense alone-ness of being a single parent; then I travel on to my organizational skills which are pretty good in a work setting but not great in a totally personalized way; and then I hike back to congratulating myself and all single parents for all that we accomplish in life. And well.

So I write in the back of a dark pub with a pot of tea. In the car while waiting to collect Lily from school or hip-hop class. On the train between Galway and Heuston station. I write on my kitchen table. Not really on it! My table is laden with writing stuff: lists, a brightly colored scarf, CD’s to set me in the time period of which I’m writing, coloured markers for doodling and mind-mapping, articles about interesting subjects, ear-plugs so I can’t hear the other jobs shouting at me. Not really. No doubt a place outside of the house where I would do nothing but write would be nice. I think it’s called an office.

Longhand and laptop, about equal measures. Often 9 to 11 at night, or if I’m lucky, 9 to 11 in the morning.

Who is the writer that you most admire?

Usually the one I’ve just read.

This week the poems I’ve read are Kay Ryan from California and Marie Gahan from Dublin and a few quick ones by C. K. Williams.

Carson McCullers must be the writer that I most admire because her Heart is a Lonely Hunter is one of the few books that I’ve read again and again. She spent a few weeks at John Heuston’s St. Cleran’s House in Craughwell before she died in her home place of Nyak, New York in the late 1960’s. She did not live very long, suffered many maladies, and was not respected by her male contemporaries of that time. She can spin a story. There has been a resurgence of interest in her recently. At long last. Too many writers are not recognized during their lifetimes. Such a pity.

Which poet/poem would you like to see on the Leaving Cert course?

Lucille Clifton.

What is your favourite bookshop?

River City Books in Soldotna, Alaska. My sister Peggy owns it! It’s a small independent bookshop with the predictable titles, as well as unusual titles and an extensive children’s section.

And Charlie Byrne’s in Galway.

What one piece of advice would you offer to beginner writers?

Be precious with your work; show it to two or three people who know what good writing is and have your best interest at heart. I blush when I think of some of the pieces I have sent out or shown prematurely.

PATRICK CHAPMAN INTERVIEW

2010-11-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today we have an interview with Patrick to give readers a flavour of the poet before he joins us in Galway. We will run a similar interview with Mary next week.

Patrick Chapman's latest poetry collection is The Darwin Vampires (Salmon, 2010), the title poem of which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His earlier collections are Jazztown, The New Pornography, Breaking Hearts and Traffic Lights and A Shopping Mall on Mars. He has also written a book of stories, The Wow Signal; an award-winning film, Burning the Bed; episodes of the children’s TV series Garth & Bev; and an audio play, Doctor Who: Fear of the Daleks. He lives in Dublin

Patrick, tell us a little about your new poetry collection The Darwin Vampires.

The Darwin Vampires is partly a book about growing older – they were the last poems of my thirties and the first of my forties – but it also contains non-sepia snapshots of childhood, fictional-but-true love stories, disturbed reactions to the state of the world, and a romantic notion of drifting in space with only one last breath for company. It wasn’t obvious when I was writing the book but there seems to be a trajectory there, in the progression of the poems, from the beginning of life to the end of it. The book grew organically, without ever quite telling me what it was up to, the work arriving quickly, sometimes when I wasn’t looking. That’s probably a good sign. I think it’s a slightly dark book, maybe even twisted at times, but also quite funny.

Why do you write?

It’s a compulsion and a pleasure and it’s who I am. Without writing, I’m not quite myself.

What’s your writing process? Morning or night? Longhand or laptop? etc.

My process is simple and complicated at the same time. I write when I have to, and keep going until I can’t. It’s a luxury, of course, to have the time to do this – and one for which I’m very grateful. I don’t have a set routine. Sometimes I stop writing altogether until something nags me enough to write it down. I don’t keep notebooks, I believe in the restorative powers of procrastination, and I sometimes enjoy meeting the dawn with some new words under my belt. I generally write on a Mac, and once composed a poem on an iPod. Sometimes I use a pen and paper.

Who is the writer that you most admire?

J.G. Ballard, probably, but there are so many writers whose work I love. If forced to choose one book for that desert island, it’d most likely be Ballard’s immense Complete Stories, a thousand pages and fifty years of wry genius. Even when he fails, he’s very interesting.

Which poet/poem would you like to see on the Leaving Cert course?

Philip Casey. He’s quietly brilliant. A few years ago, we set up the Irish Literary Revival website together – declaration noted – but I’ve admired his poems for decades. His collection After Thunder is a classic.

What is your favourite bookshop?

Books Upstairs, in College Green, Dublin. It’s a small independent shop that has loads of character and tons of books. In fact, it’s a treasure trove, full of surprises. You get the sense, going in there, that the people who run it are in love with books and reading.

What one piece of advice would you offer to beginner writers?

If you’re having difficulty with a piece of work, don’t kill yourself trying to solve it there and then. Walk away. Let it fester. When you return, your brain will most likely have come up with a solution while you weren’t thinking.

Group 8 Reconvenes

2010-09-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

We had our first Group 8 meeting of the new 'term' last night at Tosnú Art Gallery and we enjoyed discussing what we plan to do next. Lots of ideas for venues, events and collaborations were tossed about.

We are hoping to host a poetry reading in the town in late November with guest writers from Galway and Dublin, then in the New Year we will begin our collaborative work for our new, exciting exhibition, which will take place next March.

Watch this space!

JUNCTION 14.5 LAUNCH PICS

2010-03-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Grellan Ganly explains the work

People enjoying Úna Spain's photographs

The crowd - some of Joyce Little's work in background

Juno, Heather, Nuala

John Boland delivers his launch speech

The Mayor and others enjoying John's speech

Nuala Ní Chonchúir reading from her poems

Zara Little-Campbell reading from her poems

Nuala Ní Chonchúir & Úna Spain

Joyce Little & friends

Tommy Campbell & friend

Úna O'Connor selling the exhibition catalogue

The Lunar Jazz Ensemble, featuring Lee Ní Chinnéide

SETTING UP THE EXHIBITION

2010-03-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

SETTING UP THE REGENCY ROOM

WHAT GOES WHERE?

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

JUNO KEEPS AN EYE ON THE HANGING

JOYCE GETTING THE PAPER DRESS READY TO HANG

JUNCTION 14.5

2010-03-08T00:56:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCING THE MEMBERS OF GROUP 8

2010-02-18T03:44:00.000-08:00

Brendan Grealy graduated from GMIT in 1998 with a Diploma in Art & Design and from Crawford College of Art & Design in 1999 with a Degree in Fineart. He is a highly versatile painter who engages with a variety of thematics that share a common thread – that of his immediate environment. The artistic treatment of his subject matter is carefully, and consistently considered in his sophisticated methods of paint application.

Grellan Ganly is currently completing his Degree in Art & Design in GMIT. His work is heavily influenced by history, particularly that of Irish folklore and Celtic mythology. He employs the media of both acrylic paint and kiln fired ceramics. Both media possess an underlying fluidity and mystery that combine in a way that constantly challenges the viewer as to the various layers of meaning contained in his work

Joyce Little is a visual artist working in the medium of paint, print and installation. Her area of interest is that of the contemporary woman. Her work is thought provoking, culturally critical and at times irreverently humorous or satirical. She studied in Grafton Academy of Fashion Design, NCAD, GMIT, and most recently completed an MA in Visual Arts Practice at IADT.

Lee Ní Chinnéide is originally from Dublin and now lives near Ahascragh. A homeopath by profession, Lee is a powerful singer and interpreter of songs. She regularly performs with The Lunar Jazz Ensemble in pubs and at events in Galway and beyond.

Nuala Ní Chonchúir is an award winning writer and poet originally from Dublin and currently lives in Ballinasloe. Her third short fiction collection Nude was published by Salt in September 2009. The Irish Times called it ‘a memorable achievement’. She is one of four winners of the 2009 Templar Poetry Pamphlet competition. Her pamphlet Portrait of the Artist with a Red Car was published November 2009. Nuala’s novel You was published by New Island in April 2010. She received an Arts Council Bursary in 2009 and is fiction editor of Horizon Review.

Tommy Campbell is a sculptor working in the medium of Bog Oak. He is inspired by his surroundings and the materials he uses. Mainly a self-taught artist, he has had workshops with Dutch sculptor Peter Kooning and the late Brian Little.

Úna Spain graduated from GMIT in 1997 with a Diploma in Art & Design and was awarded an Honours Degree in Photography from DIT in 2009. Her most recent body of work consisted of photography, Super 8 film and a limited edition artists book collectively entitled Marking Time which looked at three ‘erstwhile’ sites in Ballinasloe and people formerly associated with them. The critic Aidan Dunne described this work as a ‘brilliant, composite insight into the social and psychological reality of change on a local scale in Ireland’ (Irish Times, June 17, 2009).

Zara Little-Campbell is a writer from Ballinasloe. She is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Swansea University, Wales. Her poetry has been published in Sigla and Crannóg. She co-edited Rewind and a selection of her poetry was published in the same anthology. Zara won the Jonathan Swift Award for poetry in 2008 with her poem ‘Sycamore Trees’ and was shortlisted for the Short Story Award in 2009.

Group 8 Mission Statement

2010-02-18T01:23:00.000-08:00

Group 8 is a non-profit, professional arts group, united in the belief that art worthy of exposure can express the vitality of a community, and foster awareness, imagination and co-operative learning between the artist and their community.

GROUP 8 HARD AT WORK

2010-02-05T01:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of 5 of the 8, hard at work in Tosnú Art Gallery in Ballinasloe, brainstorming, for the upcoming exhibition. I took the pic - I was hard at work too!!!

From the left: Grellan Ganly, Joyce Little, Tommy Campbell, Úna Spain and Brendan Greally.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

2010-02-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

We are currently preparing the catalogue to go with our exhibition - it will contain images of the art work as well as poetry. We are also trying to come up with a name for our exhibition which has the theme of 'a sense of place'. All the art works have taken Ballinasloe as their starting point but we don't want to use the title 'a sense of place' - it's too clichéd. Some of the poems and the paintings have inspired each other. It has been a true collaborative process by and about artists in Ballinasloe.
Anyway, one member came up with a great suggestion for the exhibition's title at today's meeting - we will thrash it out and announce it anon.

JOINT EXHIBITION - GROUP 8

2010-02-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

Group 8's first exhibiton will take place between the 13th and the 20th of March 2010 in The Regency Room in Hayden's Hotel in Ballinasloe.

The launch night will take place on Saturday the 13th March 2010 at 7pm. Come and see sculpture, photography and paintings; listen to live poetry and music, and enjoy a glass of wine.

The exhibition will be open throughout the week, including Saint Patrick's Day.

Introducing GROUP 8

2010-02-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Group 8 is a professional artists' collective based in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland. We came together last August (2009) with a view to bringing our work to the people of Ballinasloe, in order to add to the cultural interest of the town. We decided the best way to do that was to organise a joint exhibition of our work in Ballinasloe.

We are 5 visual artists, 2 writers and 1 singer. We are:

Joyce Little - visual and multimedia artist

Tommy Campbell - sculptor

Grellan Ganly - visual artist

Úna Spain - visual artist

Brendan Grealy - visual artist

Nuala Ní Chonchúir - writer

Zara Little-Campbell - writer

Lee Ní Chinnéide - singer