A hike on the Blackstairs Mountain Cow House Studios is situated at the foot of the Blackstairs mountain, named for the range it belongs to. This stepped granite and slate rock mountain greets you as you drive up the road toward the studio. Although much of the hills and mountains of the range are now planted […]
Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup This past September, our friend Kate Strain asked us if we would participate in the opening event of Kunstverein Aughrim, her new curatorial office and production agency for contemporary art projects. Kate hoped to temporarily re-open the cafe beside her building, offering visitors some hot stew and a fresh piece of […]
Interview Southeast Radio’s I Remember with Michael O’Gorman & Cow House Co-Directors Rosie O’Gorman and Frank Abruzzese On Saturday, July 3rd Cow House Studios was featured on Southeast Radio’s I Remember hosted weekly by Michael Doyle. Michael reached out to us a few weeks ago to learn more about the history of the farm and the initial ideas […]
Recipe: Gin and Tonic Cake We first served this cake during our artist residency How to Flatten a Mountain. The weather had been more reliably fine during this program, and Caitriona wanted to create something festive and a bit lighter for the artist’s last night on the farm. Her first thought was to create a […]
Shannon’s Lane hike in County Carlow near the village of Kiltealy. Since we were unable to travel long distances during this autumn’s gap year program, we took the opportunity to explore our locality in more depth, revealing local treasurers a stone’s throw from Cow House. One of our favorite places, Shannon’s Lane, is only 20 […]
Winter Solstice at Knockroe Passage Tomb in Kilkenny Today is the winter solstice and celebrations on the shortest day of the year are particularly associated with the Celtic tradition when druids would cut the mistletoe that grew on oak trees and offer it as a blessing each year. In Celtic mythology, there is a Dark […]
Recipe: Hoagie & Cheesesteak Rolls As a native Philadelphian, Cow House Co-Director Frank Abruzzese has a particular affinity for the Hoagie and Cheesesteak sandwiches of his childhood. To this day, his first stop on any visit home begins with a cheesesteak from the iconic John’s Roast Pork. Anyone familiar with these delicious sandwiches from Philly […]
Fire Station Artists’ Studios, located in Dublin’s northeast inner city, is a vital institution within the Irish art world. For many emerging and mid-career artists, an extended residency in one of their twelve studios provides support to embark on ambitious projects. Having opened its doors more than 25 years ago, it has gained due recognition […]
Recipe: Lamb Barbacoa Tacos & Elote We started making this recipe at Cow House after Frank received a phone call from our dear friend and curator Karla Sanchez. Karla, originally from Mexico City, asked Frank to give a cooking demonstration during her then annual Zorro Festival in Wexford Town. Frank loves cooking and had been […]
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting artists Clare Breen, Mary Conroy, and Laura Ní Fhlaibhín for three consecutive days. This short residency was our first time hosting anyone after an extended closure, and it was great to see the studio once again brimming with activity. We are particularly fond of this collaboration as their […]
Recipe: Caramelized Orange Upside-Down Cake We started to make our caramelized orange upside-down cake at Cow House last year during Art on the Farm, our summer art program for high school students. Caitriona noticed the students weren’t eating as many oranges, and we had a few extra in the fruit basked about to go off. […]
One of our absolute favorite places to visit is the prehistoric hill fort of Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands just off the coast of Galway. Perched in a stunning location at the edge of a 300ft high cliff, Dún Aonghasa is a breathtaking place for its natural beauty […]
Recipe: Hainanese Chicken Rice We have been making this dish at Cow House since the very beginning. Frank loves food and cooking for people, but when the studios first opened, he didn’t have much expertise in preparing dishes from the Asian continent. His background is Italian American, and he spent some time in New Mexico […]
Recipe: Sourdough Bread One of the most remarkable things about sourdough bread is that just three ingredients, time, and technique, can yield such a satisfying combination of textures and flavors. Making sourdough bread is a process. There is no real way to sugarcoat it, but since we all have a bit more time on our hands […]
Recipe: Fermented Hot Sauce & Peanut Rayu Two things we nearly always have in our fridge at Cow House are a fermented hot sauce and peanut rayu. These two condiments are seriously addictive and seem to work on just about everything. During our residencies and our summer program, we’ve noticed that some people pull them […]
Recipe: Cow House Granola For a majority of our programming during the year, our breakfasts are self-catering. Our residency artists and gap year students don’t like to make a fuss early in the morning and usually go for something simple. As a way to make things more interesting for them, Caitriona started making granola from scratch. […]
Recipe: Mary’s Christmas Mince Pies At this time of year, in just about every grocery store, cafe, and bakery here in Ireland, you’ll see stacks of mince pies for sale. These are nice if you can get them, but nothing compares to Mary’s homemade version. Her mince pies are something special, and one among many […]
In Temple Bar, the heart of Dublin’s city center, you can find The Library Project, run by PhotoIreland Foundation since 2013. This exciting space combining a library, bookshop, and gallery, is somewhere we always recommend to our residency artists, especially those with a primary interest in lens-based media. We regularly pop in for a visit […]
dangle, align, topple by Rosie O’Gorman: a closing event at deAppendix, Dublin Date & Time: Tuesday, November 19th, 6 pm – 8 pm Location: deAppendix Cultural Space, 30 Ardagh Grove, Blackrock, Co. Dublin For the past month, new works by Cow House Co-Director Rosie O’Gorman have been on display at deAppendix, a cultural space co-located with […]
Recipe: Traditional Irish Batch Bread It’s hard to beat freshly baked bread. There’s something so comforting about breaking into a fresh loaf still warm from the oven. Since Caitriona joined us full time back in 2017, she has been treating our guests to her fantastic creations. A highlight has certainly been her bread, whether it […]