Myths at FE McWilliam

Join the team at FE McWilliam on a special tour surrounding how myths play an important role within the work of the gallery artists, Catherine McWilliam and FE McWiliam.

Catherine McWilliam Selected Work (1961 - 2021) Exhibition:

For over six decades Catherine McWilliams has produced original and compelling images of life in Northern Ireland. From a self-portrait painted when she was 21 to recent compositions exploring the threat of climate change. Her work ranges from the domestic to the surreal and prioritises the experiences of women and children.

In the 1980s, McWilliams turned to the myth of Pandora for a series of important works, six of which were selected for the exhibition Pandora's Box at Rochdale Museum and Art Gallery in 1984.

She also has a keen interest in the legend of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Danu or Dana, the earth goddess of Celtic mythology and interprets Danu as a woman bringing peace to the North. Danu could be seen to be synonymous with Gaia, the earth goddess, who features in her painting 'Earth Goddess (Gaia)', 2015.

FE McWilliam Selected Work
The sculptor FE McWilliam, to whom the gallery is dedicated, also chose to represent a mythical female figure from Irish mythology when he was commissioned by the board of the newly built Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry to do a sculpture for the building. The sculpture was called Princess Macha and represented Macha, a goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (Eamhain Mhacha) and Armagh (Ard Mhacha) both of which are named after her.