An Artistic Day In Letterkenny

In 1997, Sean Barr (center in photo at left with girlfriend Maureen and friend John) was the only one of the original 12 Montana visitors from Ireland and Northern Ireland who had started going to "university." He was 23 years old and had an interest in media and art. Now more than 13 years later, Sean's artwork was on display for the first time in the northwest town of Letterkenny, Ireland.

Sean grew up a Catholic in a small down near Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He graduated from the University of Ulster in Belfast in Media Studies. He took a year off after college and moved to Australia where he worked on a banana farm and in construction using skills he learned while helping build a Habitat for Humanity house in Missoula.

Moving to Letterkenny, he started his own video production business and produced wedding and festival videos around Letterkenny. He said most of the business started to dry up when the economic recession hit Ireland. He said he decided to go back to his first love, art. He started painting landscapes in watercolors. Then he moved onto acrylics and an inspiration he first got while visiting Montana--Native Americans.

One of the most impressive pieces at the "Totems to Townlands" art exhibition tonight at the ArtCo Gallery in Letterkenny was Sean's portrait of Sitting Bull (see photo at left). Sean's style is varied. He has an expressionistic Wild Bill Hickok and a realistic watercolor of the cathedral in Letterkenny.

We spent the full day with Sean. We were going to start yesterday but he and his girlfriend of four years, Maureen, had trouble getting a flight back from a quick trip to London. He walked from Maureen's flat this morning. He's hoping to learn to drive a car someday but for now he bikes or takes the bus.

Sean had to make and paint a few last minute frames (see photo at left) for his nearly 15 works that were displayed at ArtCo. We helped him tranport his last few pieces to the gallery where he and the other two artists in the show decided where to hang everything. After an interview with us, home to changes clothes and off to the bus station to pick up a friend, he made his appearance at his first art exhibition.

About 40 family, friends and patrons of the three artists were on hand. Some pieces sold and some might sell over the three weeks the show will be displayed. Sean posed for pictures and talked to a few people. But mostly he just smiled because he's getting to do what he's always wanted.