Exhibition | 'Ní Bhíonn Imeacht Gan Chaill' with Helouise O'Reilly

In Ní Bhíonn Imeacht gan Chaill, O’Reilly explores the relationship between language and identity within the context of the Irish language. This work centres on Oileán Thoraí - said to be one of the richest Irish language communities in Ireland. The Island's rich history of folklore, mythology and tradition have directly influenced the language and place names there. 

With reference to the 1835 Ordnance Survey of Tory island and Brian Friel’s play Translations as well as her own explorations of the island, O’Reilly examines the way we use language to describe and understand our relationship to our physical landscape and cultural inheritance. Through an assemblage of recorded conversations, photography and maps, the artist charts historic attitudes of power and hierarchy towards the Irish language alongside the historic and contemporary efforts taken to preserve a language that has survived despite the odds.

Although this work is centred on the Irish language, it can be applied to minority languages worldwide, affected by the legacy of colonisation, emigration and socio-political factors. The displacement and fracture of identity is questioned and how the ripples of loss of language can be felt by subsequent generations.