Artist with strong Donegal affiliations designs historic stamp

Brian Gallagher's work was chosen to commemorate the establishment of Saorstát Éireann

An artist whose work has been chosen to commemorate the establishment of Saorstát Éireann says it is a shame his father is not alive to enjoy his achievement.

Last year, An Post and Business to Arts announced a special competition for artists to create a stamp design to mark the centenary of Saortát Éireann. The competition was won by Brian Gallagher who shares strong and affectionate affiliations with Gortahork.

Brian Gallagher and his family spent their summer holidays in Gortahork where his father Gerry Gallagher was from. Gerry and his wife Moya moved back to Gortahork on his retirement and spent many happy years in the Gaeltacht village.

The historic stamp shows a fortified tower house with a crack and two corncrakes emerging from a meadow. Brian became familiar with the Corncrake, an ‘endangered species’ during his time in Donegal: “I would have heard the Corncrake in Donegal. The tower in the background signifies conflict, colonisation, I suppose, and with the crack in it is to signify a split and the treaty being a split and the partition of Ireland being a split. It symbolises division and all of that,” he said.

The tricolour also features on the stamp with it’s historical resonance. Brian says he was surprised to have won the competition.

“I would be very interested in history and everything associated with it so it is a real honour to design a stamp to commemorate one hundred years of the State,” he said.

He did add it was a pity his father wasn’t here to enjoy the achievement: “It is a shame my father is not here to enjoy this, because he would have absolutely loved me winning that. He used to love things like that,” Brian said.

Brian was born in Newcastle and raised in Yorkshire with his brothers. He now resides in Dublin. After leaving school, Brian studied to become an artist and illustrator at Bristol Polytechnic as it was then known. He moved to London to work as a freelance illustrator for ten years before moving to Dublin where he has spent the last twenty-five years.

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Many of his works on his website are of Donegal and over the years he exhibited his work with The Gallery in Dunfanaghy, other galleries in Donegal and further afield.

Also this year the professional illustrator was asked to do fourteen illustrations and the front cover for John Creedon’s new book An Irish Folklore Treasury.

He was also commissioned by the OPW to illustrate seven over large portraits of Blasket Island writers for the visitor centre which is located opposite the Blasket Islands, in Kerry.