In Conversation with artist Paul MacCormaic

Join Paul for a discussion with three of his portrait subjects: Margaret Urwin, John Teggart and Alan McBride to learn about their stories and how they came to be painted as part of The Vanquished Writing History. The discussion will be moderated by award winning documentary maker Mary-Elaine Tynan.

The Vanquished Writing History, a body of work comprising 18 large-scale portraits, are portraits of people, or their advocates, who find themselves marginalised, ostracised, vilified or disbelieved, and who have told their own story, making a positive contribution to Irish society, usually through activism or advocacy.

MacCormaic began painting the series in response to the well-known expression that ‘history is written by the victorious’. The artist wants to counter this by depicting people who are working against the established views and writing their own history. Those who have portraits painted are usually part of the élite, politicians, CEOs and archbishops. Simply painting a portrait of an ordinary person is an act of defiance. Although the dictionary meaning of vanquished is ‘utterly defeated’, MacCormaic uses vanquished as a one-word opposite of victorious.

Bios:

Born in Dublin in 1961, Paul MacCormaic grew up in Finglas. His style and approach has always been figurative and much of his earlier work was imbued with sardonic humour and included collage, printmaking and painting. Before leaving his job as a technician in Eircom in 2001, he had 6 one-man shows. As a mature student, he read History of Art at UCD and studied Fine Art at Dún Laoghaire IADT. MacCormaic has worked as a professional artist and teacher since graduating in 2006. The most recent exhibitions were Food Fight, in the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in The Naul (2021) and Icons IIin the Tinahealy Courthouse (2022).

Originally from Co Wexford, Margaret Urwin has worked with Justice for the Forgotten, an organisation representing the families & survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, since 1993 and, for more than a decade, with families affected by other cross border bombings. Margaret is a graduate of the Open University and has an MA (Local History) from NUI Maynooth

Alan McBride is the co-ordinator of the Wave Trauma Centre in Belfast. Alan has been a campaigner for peace and reconciliation for thirty one years. Alan's wife Sharon and her father Desmond Frizzell, were murdered in the Shankill Road bombing.

John Teggart is a victim campaigner in West Belfast. His father Daniel and brother Bernard were killed in the Troubles. John has dedicated his life to peace and reconciliation and the search for justice for victims.

Mary-Elaine Tynan is Education Officer at the NCCA, a teacher, best-selling author and award winning radio documentarian. Mary-Elaine’s documentaries include The Rough with the Smoothie, Small Lives and Great Reputations, Finding Private Branch and The Undetectables. After making a radio documentary about Paddy Armstrong, in 2017 she co-authored the critically acclaimed Life After Life – A Guildford Four Memoir with Paddy. She has also co-authored the leading Junior Cycle English textbooks Fire and Ice.

Images:

1. Paul MacCormaic, Margart Urwin, coordinator at Justice for the Forgotten (detail), Acrylic and oil on canvas, 122 x 92cm, Image courtesy of the artist.
2. Paul MacCormaic, John Teggart, victims' campaigner at Springhill Community House, Belfast (detail) Acrylic and oil on canvas, 122 x 92cm, Image courtesy of the artist.
3. Paul MacCormaic, Alan McBride, coordinator at Wave Trauma Centre, Belfast (detail), Acrylic and oil on canvas, 120 x 90cm, Image courtesy of the artist.