New Giclee print " Muinin" 800

Muinin is an irish word meaning trust. This Giclée print is taken from my original acrylic painting on canvas, depicting the back bar of my local pub in Moate, The Gap House.

I named the painting Muinin for its connection to trust - the simple trust that customers can leave their belongings on the bar counter and expect them to be there when they return.

But the name has since taken on a deeper, unexpected meaning. While working on the painting, two figures appeared while using impasto - two children from the local orphanage, one at the black door at back of bar another at the bottom of the bar. When i later researched the history of the area, I discovered that an orphanage had been located nearby in 1980/90s.

The title Muinin therefore came to carry a second meaning: The trust those children placed in the nuns who were entrusted with their care. What began as a painting about everyday trust of a local pub became unexpectedly connected to a much deeper story of trust, care and childhood.