McBride Gallery

The Mcbride Gallery, 25 New Street, Killarney is only in existence for a year but with the calibre of exhibitors it has had to date it will quickly establish a reputation for the promotion and sale of extremely high quality work.

Brian Bourke, Regine Bartsch, Brian and Dr Denise Ferran, and John Behan have featured here and now the gallery has a joint exhibition by well-known photographer Con Kelleher, from Macroom and award-winning Ballinskelligs based filmmaker and painter Tim Booth.

Proprietor of the gallery is Killarney woman Mary Mcbride, of the highly successful Mac Bee's ladies outfitters. Mary has been a keen collector for many years. She was initially helped in achieving her long-cherished ambition of opening the Mcbride Gallery by Tralee woman Alice Kelliher and advised by renowned collectors George and Maura McClelland.

Killarney's Joanne McCarthy is the Gallery Manager and she welcomed me warmly to the bright spacious gallery. Joanne has a BA in Fine Art (Limerick School of Art and Design) and a Masters in History of Art and Architecture (University of Limerick).

"I love being in this environment,"she smiles. "After art college I knew I wanted to work in a gallery or museum. Relating art to the public is my strength."

Joanne wants the gallery to be a friendly place, as well as a showcase for unique art. I spent a pleasant hour there, looking at the work and talking to Joanne as visitors dropped in and were cheerily greeted and given brochures, their impressions sought and any questions answered.

Upstairs, as the sun shone through the large window, I admired a series of beautiful black and white nature photographs by Con Kelleher. One extraordinary photograph was "Gearagh II".( Gearagh, Joanne explained, is a flooded forest outside Macroom where the water level continually fluctuates). Dark tree stumps in the foreground emerged, seemingly imbued with life and looking at me, like rows of silent sea creatures, from the watery stillness. It was magical!

Tim Booth's work is absorbing, both the representational landscapes and the Pop art. A small piece, "The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird" was my favourite. An evocative and tantalising painting of a cuckoo in full flight over an abstract background of baby pink and blue panels, holding by its beak 3 balloons, red, yellow and blue. It had a precious red dot on the wall beside it.

"Everyone loves it!" says Joanne, "It could have been sold four times over."

(Make that five times, Joanne!)

A glorious peal of cathedral bells rang out, startled me out of my reverie, and sent Joanne running to see the wedding party driving by. It was time to gather my notes and head back to Tralee.

For further information on this exhibition and on the forthcoming Summer Group Show to celebrate the Mcbride Gallery's 1st Birthday, contact The Mcbride Gallery, 25 New Street, Killarney, Co Kerry.

Tel. 064 71483 or e-mail info@mcbridegallery.com . Website www.mcbrideartgallery.com. Open Mon-Sat 10-1, 2-6