Tipperary artist proud to return home for 2025 exhibition

Irish painter Eddie Kennedy is a popular figure in the Irish art scene, with his exhibits drawing crowds from far and wide.

He has exhibited internationally, is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner award, and was elected a member of Aosdána in 2017.

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Currently living in Dublin, Eddie’s career has taken him around the world, however for the month of June, Eddie got in touch with his roots, returning to Tipperary, to present his new exhibition, “Lines of Engagement,” in the Source Arts Centre, Thurles.

Earlier this year, Eddie sat down with Tipperary Live to discuss his beginnings, where his art has taken him, and his hopes ahead the exhibition.

Growing up in Barnane, in the parish of Drom and Inch, Eddie discovered his passion for art from a young age; remembering a project working on paper stained glass insets for the classroom windows in Barnane National School.

His interest was there from the start.

In secondary school in CBS Templemore, he was drawn to the arts, taking art as a subject and writing poetry which was published in the school magazine, Target.

He realised while in his first year of a Graphic Design Course at Athlone RTC (now TUS) that design was not for him, but rather painting.

He applied to Limerick School of Art and Design, and was accepted, allowing him to further his education in painting.

He also completed a post-graduate teacher training course at LSAD and taught for a year in Limerick City before moving to Dublin with his wife.

However, Eddie could not quell his desire to paint, and so he applied for post graduate courses in the United States.

He received a call from the University of Cincinnati, offering him a scholarship for a two-year Masters Degree in Fine Art, Painting, which he graciously accepted.

After some time spent travelling between Ireland and America, Eddie and his wife returned to Dublin in 1994, where they have remained ever since.

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Eddie is represented by Hillsboro Fine Art in Dublin, where exhibitions of his work are frequently held.

Last year Eddie presented ‘Frontier’ at Rathfarnham Castle.

The show’s title was partly in reference to the castle’s history as an Elizabethan stronghold on the frontier of English controlled lands in Ireland in the 15th Century.

He explored other ideas of what frontier might mean, particularly in relation to his own painting, where his own borders were, and in what ways he could push himself beyond these barriers.

His exhibition will contain a selection of recent paintings, made between his Dublin studio and while on residency at the Ballinglen Art Foundation in Ballycastle, Co Mayo.

Works in oil on canvas and linen in varying sizes: from small 50 x 50 centimetres to medium 100 x 90 centimetres, all the way up to 7 feet by 6 feet.

He hopes that the paintings will create an atmosphere that brings enjoyment and pleasure to the members of the public who come to see them.

Eddie was delighted to be invited to show his paintings at the Source, commenting on how fantastic it is to have a dedicated visual art gallery right in the centre of the town, overlooking the River Suir.

“Lines of Engagement” by Eddie Kennedy ran from Saturday, May 31, to Saturday, June 28, in the Source Arts Centre, Thurles.

If you would like to explore more of Eddie’s work, you can check out his website, www.eddiekennedy studio.ie, to find out more.