HAVING grown up in West Belfast, I was always aware of Féile an Phobail as a positive force within my community from its inception in 1988.

Throughout the 1990s I was proud of the fact that musical big hitters like the Waterboys, Westlife and Shane MacGowan’s The Popes were making an appearance on my doorstep every August.

My earliest memory of the visual arts element within Féile was when I heard about a callout for a group exhibition that was being held in the Devenish Arms, Finaghy, in the late 1990s. I entered my artwork more in hope than expectation, and was delighted to participate.

I clearly remember setting up my first picture on an easel – a large canvas view of Dublin Bay - and a member of the Devenish staff buying it straight off for £100 (big money back then for a lad in his late-20s). They mentioned something about me one day becoming a rich and famous artist, so they saw it as an investment – if I met them again today, I’d probably have to apologise for my lack of riches or fame. I’d love to see that ‘red’ painting again.

To round it off that year, Cllr Tom Hartley was asked to select Féíle’s inaugural Artist of the Year and he chose me. I wore that mantle very proudly.

For a while after that, life got in the way and my art took a back seat. It wasn’t until 2015 when I started attending art life-drawing classes in the Crescent Arts Centre that I reconnected with the art community in Belfast.

That’s also when I first took note of the visual arts element within Féile an Phobail again. The venue for the exhibition by now had moved to St Mary’s University College, Falls Road. My cousin Patricia was exhibiting, which immediately sparked my interest. Then I saw a very moving exhibition called ‘In Their Footsteps’ – a collection of shoes that the Pat Finucane Centre had laid out along the corridors to represent the tragic loss of life during the conflict. That resonated with me given that my family experienced an horrific tragedy when my 17-month-old sister Angela died in a shooting incident in 1971 during an IRA operation against the British Army close to our family home on the Falls Road.

There were also 15 one-metre portraits of Che Guevara, Ghandi and other historical luminaries, all hanging along the corridor. And the Ballymurphy Families had mounted a huge exhibition documenting their struggle for justice. Suddenly, a very real sense of art and expression living in my community consumed me and I was hooked.

In 2016, with Féíle’s Visual Arts exhibition in mind, I painted several large black and white images related to the Easter Rising to mark its 100th anniversary. These were famous images of Casement, Markievicz and Pearse amongst others. The feedback on these was overwhelming, and my fate was sealed – I offered to volunteer to help organise future Féile art exhibitions.

Working with fellow artist, Deirdre Mackel, and Events Co-ordinator Grainne Reilly, I threw myself into planning art exhibitions for Féile an Earraigh (Eastertime) and the main Féile an Phobail. In those days, the August event consisted of up to 25-30 artists/contributors, but momentum was building.

Michael with Robert Ballagh and Deirdre Mackel
2Gallery

Michael with Robert Ballagh and Deirdre Mackel

In 2018 renowned Irish artist Robert Ballagh launched our visual arts programme for Féile’s 30th anniversary event. The exhibition was forced to go online during the Covid years. However, in response to Covid, I pitched our now annual Landscape Painting competition in 2021 to shift the focus outdoors as much as possible. We’re now in our fourth year of that very successful and enjoyable competition along with its sister challenge, the Portrait Artist competition. Every cloud has a silver lining!

I took over the lead volunteer role for Féile’s art exhibitions in 2022, along with fellow artist and teacher, David Bell. My goal was to give the visual arts exhibition a profile of its own within Féile an Phobail, instead of being the poor cousin of the debates and discussions which drew large crowds to St Mary’s each year. Building a credible and trusted base of talented artists and using social media effectively to promote our event, things started happening. Tours of the art exhibitions became a Féile talking point and the glossy programme regularly saved its coveted back pages for the Visual Arts. For the first time, in 2023, I started to get a sense of people coming to St Mary's in August not just for the lectures, but also for the art.

St Mary’s was always an unconventional art space, with a warren of corridors and classrooms and we had art hanging from every available notice board. However, massive changes happened this year when the venue opened their doors to Féíle after a multi-million pound renovation project was near completion. For the first time, the art came down off the time-worn walls; the new spacious areas and glass-fronted study rooms were filled with easels and display sets. Suddenly, Féile’s Visual Arts exhibition had come of age and was being seen in all its glory.

A major contribution this year came from the Ulster Museum who loaned us three exceptional paintings by West Belfast’s own extraordinary artist, the late Gerard Dillon. And a delegation from Portugal attended to showcase photos of historical and contemporary murals since the end of dictatorship in 1974. These, together with 50 other contributors and 300 pieces of art, has made 2024 the biggest and best Féile Visual Arts programme to date. From legacy installations to sculpture, photography, fine art and audio-visual works, this event always offers something for everyone.

But without a doubt, the main driving force behind the success of Féile’s annual Visual Arts exhibition is the exceptional quality of art that is handed over to us every year.

I’m hugely privileged to have worked with some exceptionally talented artists, photographers and other contributors from all over Ireland and abroad. Many of them are local amateur artists, real people pouring out their emotions onto a canvas, a truly wonderful thing to see. The art world holds some strange and wonderful characters, but I see the best in them when we pull together from April to July each year to produce one of the finest community art exhibitions in the country. Thanks to Rachel and Áine for their drive and foresight, and here’s to the continued growth of Féile an Phobail’s magnificent Visual Arts programme.

If any artists are keen on exhibiting with Féile next year, they can contact me by email  to be added to the mailing list.