INISHARK, OFF Inishbofin, was once home to more than 200 people. In 1960 though, the last 24 residents were evacuated, bringing to an end a human presence which had begun in the Bronze Age.
The post-human Inishark, and how the marks left by people are being decayed and reclaimed by nature, has been an inspiration for one of Galway's leading artists, Pádraic Reaney, who has been visiting the island since 2002.
.
His new exhibition, Inis Airc, is currently running in the Hardiman Building (library ) at NUI Galway, and displays 23 works - paintings and graphics - responding to dilapidated houses and farmsteads, while also urging the viewer to critically examine contemporary rural decline on the mainland.
The exhibition runs until May 28. Admission is free. See reaneyart.com
