THE MOUNTAIN Ash Broadside, an work combining a poem by Joan McBreen and an etching by Margaret Irwin-West, will be launched this Saturday in the Clifden Arts Festival gallery.
Initiated by McBreen, the broadside will see his poem 'The Mountain Ash' set in letterpress and hand-printed by Mary Plunkett of The Belgrave Private Press, Dublin and publishers, Artisan House Connemara; along with the etching by Irwin-West. It is produced in a limited edition of 150, dated, numbered, and signed by the poet and artist. It is available framed in an oiled ash frame by Westshore Gallery or in a linen print folder.
A broadside is traditionally a large sheet of paper printed on one side. Broadsides can be posters, but today it is more common as a fine art variant, usually featuring poetry. The guest speaker at the launch will be poet Des Kavanagh, who noted: "The broadside has a proud place in Irish literary history. Lily and Lollie Yeats of the Cuala Press in Dublin produced wonderful poetry broadsides, including some based on the work of their brother, WB Yeats and illustrated by Jack B Yeats. I am also very proud of the fact that most of the work was undertaken in Connemara, where artists of the calibre of Margaret Irwin West and publishers Artisan House are based."
All are welcome to the launch.
