Winters in Ireland

On Thursday night, Tony and Jane O'Malley had a launch in absentia at the Vanguard Gallery in Macroom. "Tony and Jane are at an opening in Denmark of a retrospective exhibition of their work," the Vanguard's director, John P. Quinlan, explained. Prints is the title of their show in Cork, with 13 pieces on show by Tony and seven by Jane.

Some of the titles of the austere but beautiful work give clues to the Irish creative psyche: Grey and Black; Winter Silence; Winter Grey and Black; Winter Sea; and Shadows. "I think the weather has something to do with it," John P. confided.

James O'Nolan, a fellow printmaker and the director of the Graphic Studio Gallery in Dublin, came down to open the show. Among those who gathered to celebrate absent friends were Jill Dennis, who lectures in the Crawford College of Art in Cork; Helen Willems, the Dutch-born cheesemaker of Coolea Cheese; Ann Creedon and husband Joe of Creedon's Hotel at Inchigeela; and flautist Conal O Grada and his wife, Juliet.

Sculptor Don Cronin and his wife, Ruth, also came along. Don's recent commission of a piece of public sculpture - a bull - for Macroom town has been arousing much controversy. "There's big holes in it, like, so people think it's decaying. They can't relate to it," said John P. sagely. One person who did relate to it was financier Dermot Desmond, who liked the original bull so much when it went on show in the RHA that he commissioned his own one from Don for his office in the IFSC.