‘I was terrified to speak even though my English was good enough, but I blossomed in Wexford’

Wexford town is a “very welcoming place that is rich in culture”, says artist Mirona Mara, who first moved there from Romania seven years ago.

Some 20 years ago, Mara and her husband came to Ireland for “an adventure” after finishing university.

“When I first came here it was just after finishing college. I studied journalism in college and worked in radio in Romania, but I was looking for a better life. When I came here originally I thought it’d just be for a year or two to make money. But then I lived in Bray [Co Wicklow] for about 10 years,” she says.

“I was married and came here with my husband. We worked in web design and web development at the time and it was such an adventure. We were in our early 20s and optimistic and full of dreams.”

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The couple returned to Romania for about four or five years, she says, but having studied art in her youth, that was her “original dream”.

“Moving to Ireland gave me inspiration and the time to work on my own art. It kind of changed everything, moving here. It was a new world, we were exposed to different cultures and I was able to meet different artists,” she says.

The couple made a decision to go back to Ireland, where Mara planned to return to her studies in art.

“Wexford was the best option, at the Southeast University, or IT Carlow back then. So we moved there and didn’t look back.”

“Back home I had studied book illustration but then when I was here I met ceramic artists and began doing that. I’m a very tactile person and it gave me a whole new experience in a wonderful new medium.”

I’ve had some amazing tutors and mentors here, some of whom are still my friends

“I’ve changed and developed since then again, and now I work in drawing and animations. I went back and finished my studies in art. I have an honours degree from Ireland now too. So I can say that I have those two schools in my practice, both Irish and Romanian. They are so different, but that’s what makes me unique as an artist.”

In Romania, Mara’s studies were “very much based on building the skills”, while here in Ireland she gained experience in “the conceptual side of things, and exploring new ideas was really encouraged”.

“I’ve had some amazing tutors and mentors here, some of whom are still my friends. I have my own studio where I do all my work. I got the space about four years ago when I met an Irish artist who I started painting with, Jonathan Murphy,” she says.

Mara and Murphy are based in Light and Shadow studios on Selskar Street in Wexford town.

Their collaboration began in the summer of 2019, arising out of “a mutual admiration and respect for each other’s work and art practice”.

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“The collaboration we do is unique, where a man and a woman from different cultures create something together and it really works. We’re bringing different cultures to one canvas. I have really had an amazing experience as an artist here. I have felt very welcomed and people have been so open to hear my ideas and see my work.”

The two artists got funding from Screen Wexford to make a stop-motion short animation film called Samsara, which has since won awards around the world.

“It’s been amazing. We’re very proud of it,” Mara says, having come a long way as an artist since she first arrived in Ireland.

“I’m quiet and shy so it takes me time to meet and make connections. In my first year here, even though my English was good enough, I was terrified to speak, I was overthinking every phrase and just couldn’t express myself in the way I wanted. But in Wexford I think I blossomed,” she says.

“I met wonderful people and I think I’m a part of the community now, I feel very well integrated, and my son was born here, he just turned 16, so he has Irish citizenship.”

Still, there are challenges as an artist in Ireland, especially financially, she says.

“It’s challenging to get curators to come from Dublin to Wexford to view your work in the studio and you have to really fight for it to get funding, but I think Ireland is generally better than other places for artists.”

My own studio in the building is the smallest room but that doesn’t stop me from making big work

“The new basic income scheme is great, some of my friends received it and I hope that will continue,” Mara says, referring to the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme which aims to support the arts and creative practice by giving a payment of €325 a week to a limited number of eligible artists and creative arts workers. Mara hopes to apply for the payment in future years if it continues.

Mara feels “incredibly lucky” to have a space to make art in Wexford town, something which can be difficult to find due to a shortage of spaces.

“My studio is in an old building. We call it the Crooked House because nothing is straight. It has so much character, I love it. My own studio in the building is the smallest room but that doesn’t stop me from making big work. I’m surrounded by little things I collect.”

“It was hard to find it because there is such a limited number of studios, but I got very lucky with this space and the rent is affordable, so we are just praying every year that the landlords won’t sell. For an artist who doesn’t make a lot of money it can be a challenge to find a space so I consider myself very lucky and blessed.”

Mara and her family plan to remain in Wexford for the foreseeable future, where Mara feels she has “really fit in”.

“It’s really rich – we have lots of festivals, all my friends are musicians or visual artists and there is always something on.”

“I love it here. It’s a beautiful place and has such a blossoming artistic community. Even though it’s so much smaller than where I come from, it doesn’t feel small because there is so much happening here.”

We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com or tweet @newtotheparish