Galway Advertiser 1990/1990_10_04/GA_04101990_E1_008.pdf 

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MICHAEL MULCAHY - OPENING T H E DOORS TO ART
Michael Mulcahy is one of Ireland's m o s t creative and intense artists. Since his first solo exhibition in 1981 h e h a s lived in the Sahara, Australia, Bali and F r a n c e . Myth and reality blend in his work which vividly portrays these a r e a s and their people.
In r e c e n t months this d a r k and distinctive look ing m a n h a s become a familiar figure in the west. L a s t winter he lived and worked on Inisheer, and this week he opens two ex hibitions in Galway. One is being held in In isheer and features his paintings of the island. The o t h e r is c a l l e d T h e Traitors Last Dance and it opens in the Arts Centre, Nuns Island on Friday. M i c h a e l M u c l a h y is s t r o n g l y influenced by n a t u r e . He painted much of the Inisheer material on the rocks in the winter months of last year using n a t u r a l objects such as sponge. The paintings a r e a m i x t u r e of experience and imagination, where shapes and colours reflect the elements.

THE SAWDOCTORS - FANS STILL LUVEM!
It's b e e n a m i g h t y w e e k of h o m e c o m i n g s for the chart topping Sawdoctors.

Wild Energy
He loves living in places like Aran. " T h e r e is such solitude and wild e n e r g y . Man is confronted with the ex t r e m e s of n a t u r e . When m a n is against n a t u r e like this he gets his ideology in to perspective. "In cities that is im possible. Man i m p o s e s order on n a t u r e . He thinks he is God, and becomes cut off from the reality of the world." Michael Mulcahy hates cities, and the civilization they produce. His Nuns Island exhibition examines m o d e r n m a n ' s relation ship with the planet. Many paintings deal with w a r and destruction. Some a r e sombre, others like the M a d Cow D i s e a s e a r e i r o n i c . All c o m m a n d attention. He h a s s t r o n g opinions on m a n y subjects. In the p a s t they h a v e got him in to trouble. That was before he learned how to channel his energies. Born in Wexford he had no interest in a c a d e m i c e d u c a t i o n when young. After a period in C l o n g o w e s School h e studied in the Crawford Art School in Cork. Then he specialised in sculpture at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin.

MICHAEL MULCAHY--HIS WORK VARIES ENORMOUSLY
know a lot about a r t and a r t critics m a k e the pro blem worse. They indulge in incest with themselves, using technical and unclear t e r m s to exclude people. " T h e doors should be open, and a r t removed from the private fucking s a n c t u a r y , " he says vehemently. T h a t ' s partly why he ex hibits outside Dublin. He has shown his work all over Ireland, and w a s the first Irishman to exhibit in Timbuktu. " P e o p l e often a p p r o a c h a r t aggressively, and ex pect instant gratification. It's the McDonald H a m b u r g e r syndrome, no in dividuality a n d i n s t a n t gratification. "A painting exists on m o r e than one level, it is not a photograph. If you let up the shutters, and let the painting in, it will e n t e r . " T h a t ' s a l s o how h e paints. Mick sees himself a s a medium, an observer, recording what is there. " Y o u h a v e to e m p t y yourself a n d see things afresh. Art is a celebration of life." This belief is evident in his portrait of Michael D H i g g i n s . It is not a straigthforward picture, but a collage of events from Michael D's life; his heart, his eyes, his family, his music, his association with Nicaragua. The two men have great admiration for each other and Mick Mulcahy has il lustrated Michael D's new book of poetry due out next month. His wicked sense of fun, and unusual vision emerge when he explains a pain ting on St. P a t r i c k . "Much of early Irish a r t is v e r y e a s t e r n in its simplicity. After Chris tianity this changes. St P a t r i c k banishing the snake is the turning point. "But if you look on the snake a s a phallic symbol, what we a r e really celebrating on St. P a t r i c k ' s Day is our own fucking c a s t r a t i o n . " The thought amused him greatly, and he had to paint it. After this exhibition he plans to travel abroad, m a y b e to B u r m a . "When winter comes, I do like the birds and fuck off. I like solitude and my own company, so its an ideal w a y for m e to live."

THE SAWDOCTORS: S E A N M C D O N A G H , THE P L A T I N U M D I S C - -BACK WHERE IT ALL B E G A N
Last week at a p a r t y in the Quays they presented o w n e r s S e a n a n d Liz McDonagh with the platinum album they received for sales. Their rise to fame began in the Quays, so it w a s a s good a place a s any to put the a w a r d . Then on Tuesday night, despite the rain, hundreds of fans gathered outside the T u a m ' s Imperial Hotel for a Civic Reception to welcome home Tuam boys m a d e good. Three of the Sawdoctors a r e from the area. It w a s a n eventful even ing. The band arrived late, but that didn't d a m p e n spirits. When they arrived they were taken outside to film two songs for R T E The fans went m a d . Inside and out, hundreds of autographs were signed, and m a n y speeches were made. T u a m told the Sawdoc tors it w a s proud of them, and they h a d done a g r e a t deal to lift the t o w n ' s spirits. Leo Moran of t h e group responded wittily, saying the reception might have been Too Much for the W h i t e m a n but not for them. The recent success hasn't been too m u c h for them, but he admits it does feel s t r a n g e when people from home ask for autographs. " I t ' s gas. We a r e having a civic reception for a song that the Christian Brothers would h a v e hit us round the lugs for w r i t i n g , " h e laughs. T h e Sawdoctors would really like if the T u a m authorities gave the school kids a day off in honour of the n u m b e r one. " T h e y ' d never forget that, and they'd keep buy ing our records Leo grins. The phone hasn't stop ped r i n g i n g s i n c e t h e Sawdoctor's success. There have been m a n y re quests for gigs, and Leo s a y s candidly there is a lot of rubbish. "What we really need to do is hibernate and pro duce s o m e new m a t e r i a l . It w a s e a s y follow the N17 b e c a u s e it w a s m o r e low key. Finding a follow on for I Useta Luver is much m o r e difficult."

Symobls of Castration
Michael's work varies enormously and he thinks this is very important. " S p e c i a l i s i n g h a s its d a n g e r s . It becomes too easy to categorise what you d o . " His intensity m a y ap p e a r initially offputting, but Mick has a g r e a t sar castic sense of humour. It e m e r g e s in some of his work, like the Intellectual Argument for Giving up Smoking, and Nightclub in Leeson St.

People like the Chaos
The band had originally planned to go to Wales in O c t o b e r to r e c o r d a n a l b u m , but t h e r e h a v e been a lot of requests for gigs, so now they'll go in November. " I t works out for two reasons. One, we will e a r n m o n e y for the a l b u m on tour, t h e o t h e r is t h a t N o v e m b e r is a quieter m o n t h , " Leo explains. Congratulations c a r d s h a v e been pouring in, a s i g n of t h e group's popularity locally. Mike Scott of the Waterboys also r a n g to send his best. He spotted t h e Sawdoctor's potential " a long long time ago". Leo still h a s n ' t figured out why the group h a s m a d e such an impact. " I think people like the chaos," he says, perplexed. .

Scorn for Psychiatrists
He travelled after col lege, and also spent s e v e r a l spells in mental hospitals and in prison. He h a s utter contempt for the psychiatric profession. "They administered d r u g s without knowing their effects. It is a terri ble thing to h a v e Electro Convulsive T h e r a p y per formed on you a s I did. If I had a cat, I wouldn't con sider a n y of those people fit to m i n d it for t h e weekend." He also talks at length on a r t . For too long it has been too exclusive he feels. "People think they don't

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The Christian Brothers