This is a painting from my forthcoming exhibition, it is called “Dreaming of Tartessos”, it is oil on canvas and 50×70 centimeters. It, together with all the other images, was inspired by a 1000 kilometers pilgrimage  walk I made in Spain this year, from Seville in the south to Santiago de Compostela in the north.  The original idea behind the project was to make Celtic/Spanish connections and, of course, the ancient Celtic city or kingdom of Tartessos was never far from my mind.

Tartessos was once thought to be a myth but in the light of more recent evidence is slowly emerging into reality.  It was a fabulously rich region in the extreme southwest of the Iberian peninsula.   Of most interest to me is the theory that Tartessos and the language spoken, Tartessian, was partly or wholly Celtic.  In fact, John Koch in his article in History Ireland suggests that Tartessian is ‘more than a little bit Celtic’ and adds a new twist to the assertion, long since dismissed as invention, that the Gaels (Milesians) originated in the Iberian Peninsula.  For more information on this and much more go to http://www.historyireland.com/pre-history-archaeology/tartessian-europes-newest-and-oldest-celtic-language/

But, how best to depict Tartessos? I see it as an ancient city with hoards of travelers and traders constantly passing through its gates but also, with all it represents, a thought or an idea hanging in the mists of time.

The exhibition will open on Thursday 1 December, in the Cultúrlann, Falls Road, Belfast.