This is a painting called “Tuatha Dé Danann”.  It is oil on canvas, 1X1.5 metres and is the first of my Spanish/Irish connections.

The Tuatha Dé Danann (usually translated as “people of the goddess Danu”) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology.  They are thought to represent the main deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.  In ancient writings, they are depicted as kings, queens, and heroes of the distance past as well as fallen angels who were neither good nor evil.  They were a cool people and favoured dark clouds as a means of transport.  They were in possession of the island of Ireland when happened the Milesian invasion.  The Milesians came from the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula (present day Galicia and Northern Portugal).  After some tricky negotiations, the Milesians agreed to occupy the world above ground and the Tuatha, the world below, the underworld, where they live to this very day.

My painting shows the Tuatha travelling through the underworld.  The cat-like creature is taken from an illustration in the Book of Kells.  I am sure that if the Tuatha kept a pet, it would look like this.  The red letters spell out the word Tuatha in old Irish script and below is the island of Ireland.  The three sails hint that the Milesian invasion has begun.