Community art participants to showcase Book of Durrow-inspired works

The fruits of a recent community arts initiative in Tullamore will go on display in the coming weeks at Esker Arts.

'Drawing Darú' was an initiative which invited local participants to study and explore the intricate images and calligraphy of The Book of Durrow.

The Creative Ireland funded project was facilitated by visual artist Claire Guinan and launched in April, and Claire ran eight weekly workshops with the ladies from the Tullamore Women's Shed.

During the weekly classes, the women learned about the history of the ancient manuscript: the making of the ink, the meanings of the illustrations, the hidden symbols within the pages, and the elements that are unique to the book, showing how important the Book of Durrow was in influencing the manuscripts that followed.

Claire said that the ladies were encouraged to create artworks inspired from the learnings.

“They experimented with a number of different mediums: drawing, painting, needlework, clay and sewing. Creativity was very much encouraged and the ladies delivered with a beautiful selection of artworks and an intricate cloak,” Claire said.

The finished artworks celebrating the creative journey of the group are being displayed in Esker Arts Centre, Tullamore during Heritage Week. The opening is on Saturday, August 15 at 12noon and runs until August 29. All are welcome to attend.

The Drawing Darú project was supported by Offaly County Council’s Creative Ireland Programme 2026.