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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Graignamanagh, a quaint and richly historical village not far from Cow House, is home to Cushendale Woollen Mills, one of the last Irish woollen mills in the country and the only one in the south-east of Ireland. Run by the Cushen family for generations, they make beautiful textiles and rolls of yarn from the fleece […]
In County Cork, nestled just above Mizen Head, Ireland’s most Southwesterly point, lies the ruins of Dunlough Castle or ‘Three Castle Head’. Dunlough Castle or Dun a Locha, which means the fort of the lake, was built by Donagh na Aimrice O’Mahoney in 1207. In its glory days the castle sat proudly as three towers, […]
Twenty minutes from Cow House Studios, just outside Enniscorthy town, lies an area rich in history. Carley’s Bridge Pottery, established in 1654, pre-dates the O’Gorman farm by nearly 200 years and is known as Ireland’s oldest pottery. Founded by two brothers from Cornwall, England, they settled in the area because it was known to be […]
On November 25th we made the short journey with our residency artists to Coolbawn Castle, located two miles from Cow House Studios. Built in the mid-1800s by Francis Bruen for his wife, Lady Catherine Anne Nugent, Coolbawn Castle has a marvellous view of the Blackstairs Mountains. The building is constructed of fine cut white granite […]
On November 17th we visited the Irish Sky Garden at Liss Ard Estate in Skibbereen, Co. Cork, one of James Turrell’s exceptional skyscapes. All of Turrell’s skyscapes comprise of an enclosed space with an opening of varying degrees in the roof allowing the sky to become a vital part of the space and experience upon […]
The Lighthouse at Hook Head is one of the incredible local sites we will be visiting this summer with students from our summer program, Art on the Farm. Known to be the second oldest operational lighthouse in the world, after the Tower of Hercules in Spain, it is a unique example of an almost intact medieval […]