In pictures: AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize comes to Letterkenny

The Regional Cultural Centre is delighted to welcome the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize 2025, a major contemporary art exhibition from the National Gallery of Ireland to Donegal. Please click on the arrows to go through the gallery

Andrea Nelis and Daniel Nelis winning artist with his portrait at the opening of AIB National Portrait Exhibition in the RCC Letterkenny. Photo: Clive Wasson.

The Regional Cultural Centre is delighted to welcome the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize 2025, a major contemporary art exhibition from the National Gallery of Ireland to Donegal.

Running from April 4 to June 20, 2026, this exhibition brings Ireland’s most compelling current portraiture to the North-West, offering audiences an opportunity to experience one of the country’s foremost art showcases close to home.

The AIB Portrait Prize is one of Ireland’s most prestigious annual awards for contemporary visual artists, celebrating excellence and innovation in portraiture across all media and is open to artists working throughout the island of Ireland and Irish artists living abroad. The overall winner receives a €15,000 prize, along with a €5,000 commission to create a new work for the National Portrait Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.

The exhibition features the prize-winning portrait Late Spring by Daniel Nelis, who is from Donegal, alongside an engaging selection of highly commended works by artists including John Foley, Conor O’Leary, and many more. Together, these works offer a compelling overview of contemporary practice in painting, photography and video, reflecting diverse perspectives across Ireland’s artistic landscape.

“We are thrilled to bring the AIB Portrait Prize to Letterkenny,” said Jeremy Howard, Director of the Regional Cultural Centre. “This exceptional exhibition enriches the cultural life of the region and gives local audiences direct access to some of the most exciting developments in contemporary art today. It is especially meaningful for us to be hosting the exhibition when the winning artist, Daniel Nelis, is from Donegal, making this presentation in Letterkenny more special for our community.”

The exhibition opened at the National Gallery of Ireland in November 2025 and is touring nationally, having previously been on display in Dublin, before moving on to the Waterford Art Gallery later in 2026.  The 2025 Prize was judged by a distinguished panel including artist Gareth Reid, Professor Emily Mark-FitzGerald (UCD) and Dr Barbara Dawson, Director of the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Running alongside the annual AIB Portrait Prize, the AIB Young Portrait Prize is an inclusive art competition with the aim of fostering and supporting creativity, originality, and self-expression in children and young people. Open to entrants aged 18 and under, of all abilities, from across the island of Ireland, the Prize celebrates emerging young talent in portraiture. The panel of judges - Cian O'Brien of COBA and artists Neil-Jack (Alphonsus) Hamilton and Alice Rekab selected a winner across each of the four age categories as well as the overall winner, Guorui Sui’s (age 11) My Own World of Fantasy.

Speaking about the tour, Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “The AIB Portrait Prize continues to showcase the remarkable breadth and quality of contemporary portraiture being made today. We are delighted to see this exhibition travel to Letterkenny, ensuring that audiences across the country can engage with these powerful works.”

Fionnuala McBride, AIB Letterkenny added: “We are proud to welcome the AIB Portrait Prize exhibitions to Letterkenny. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the AIB portrait prize, one of the biggest annual art exhibitions held at the National Gallery Ireland, here in Donegal. The competition plays a vital role in celebrating a range of different practices and interpretations of portraiture. We recognise the importance of the arts in our community and to showcase exceptional talent local to Donegal and from right across Ireland. I encourage you to visit the exhibition in the Regional Cultural Centre at your earliest opportunity.” 

To accompany the AIB Portrait Prize, the Regional Cultural Centre will present a series of related talks, tours, and workshops throughout the exhibition period, offering additional opportunities for audiences of all ages to engage with contemporary art and portraiture.

The AIB Portrait Prize 2025 will be on view at the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, from April 4 to June 20, 2026. Admission is free, with some events requiring pre-booking where applicable. For more information, please visit www.regionalculturalcentre.com

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Tá lúcháir ar an Ionad Cultúrtha Réigiúnach fáilte a chur roimh Dhuais Phortráide AIB agus Duais Phortráide AIB do Dhaoine Óga 2025, taispeántas mór ealaíne comhaimseartha ó Ghailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann go Dún na nGall.

Ar siúl ón 4 Aibreán go dtí an 20 Meitheamh 2026, tugann an taispeántas seo cuid de na saothair phortráide chomhaimseartha is spéisiula in Éirinn chuig an Iarthuaisceart, agus cuireann sé deis ar fáil do lucht féachana ceann de na taispeántais ealaíne is mó le rá sa tír a fheiceáil ina gceantar féin.

Tá Duais Phortráide AIB ar cheann de na gradaim bhliantúla is mó le rá in Éirinn d’ealaíontóirí amharc ealaíne comhaimseartha, ag ceiliúradh barr feabhais agus nuálaíocht i bportráidíocht thar gach meán. Tá an comórtas oscailte d’ealaíontóirí ar fud oileán na hÉireann agus d’ealaíontóirí Éireannacha atá ina gcónaí thar lear. Faigheann buaiteoir iomlán na duaise €15,000, chomh maith le coimisiún €5,000 chun saothar nua a chruthú do Bhailiúchán Náisiúnta na bPortráidí sa Ghailearaí Náisiúnta.

Tá an saothar buaiteach portráide, Late Spring le Daniel Nelis as Dún na nGall, ar taispeáint mar chuid den taispeántas, in éineacht le rogha shaibhir de shaothair a moladh go hard ó ealaíontóirí ar nós John Foley, Conor O’Leary agus go leor eile. Le chéile, tugann na saothair seo léargas láidir ar chleachtas comhaimseartha i bpéintéireacht, grianghrafadóireacht agus físeán, agus léiríonn siad peirspictíochtaí éagsúla i dtírdhreach ealaíne na hÉireann.

Dúirt Jeremy Howard, Stiúrthóir an Ionaid Chultúrtha Réigiúnaigh: “Táimid thar a bheith sásta Duais Phortráide AIB a thabhairt go Leitir Ceanainn. Cuireann an taispeántas ar leith seo go mór le saol cultúrtha an réigiúin agus tugann sé rochtain dhíreach do lucht féachana áitiúil ar chuid de na forbairtí is spreagúla san ealaín chomhaimseartha inniu. Dúinne, tá tábhacht ar leith leis an taispeántas a óstáil agus an buaiteoir, Daniel Nelis, as Dún na nGall, rud a fhágann go bhfuil an ócáid seo níos speisialta fós dár bpobal.”

Osclaíodh an taispeántas i nGailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann i mí na Samhna 2025 agus tá sé ar camchuairt náisiúnta ó shin, tar éis dó a bheith ar taispeáint i mBaile Átha Cliath, agus leanfaidh sé ar aghaidh go Gailearaí Ealaíne Phort Láirge níos déanaí in 2026. Rinne painéal iomráiteach moltóirí measúnú ar Dhuais 2025, ina measc an t-ealaíontóir Gareth Reid, an tOllamh Emily Mark-FitzGerald (UCD), agus an Dr Barbara Dawson, Stiúrthóir Ghailearaí Hugh Lane.

In éineacht leis an Duais Phortráide AIB, tá an Duais Phortráide AIB do Dhaoine Óga, comórtas cuimsitheach ealaíne a bhfuil sé mar aidhm aige cruthaitheacht, úrnuacht agus féinléiriú a chothú i measc páistí agus daoine óga. Tá sé oscailte do rannpháirtithe suas go 18 bliana d’aois, de gach cumas, ar fud oileán na hÉireann, agus déantar ceiliúradh ar an tallann óg atá ag teacht chun cinn sa phortráidíocht. Roghnaigh an painéal moltóirí — Cian O’Brien ó COBA agus na healaíontóirí Neil-Jack (Alphonsus) Hamilton agus Alice Rekab — buaiteoir i ngach ceann de na ceithre chatagóir aoise, chomh maith leis an ollbhuaiteoir, My Own World of Fantasy le Guorui Sui (11 bliana d’aois).

Ag labhairt faoin chamchuairt, dúirt Caroline Campbell, Stiúrthóir Ghailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann: “Leanann Duais Phortráide AIB de léiriú a dhéanamh ar an éagsúlacht agus ar an chaighdeán den scoth atá le fáil i bportráidíocht chomhaimseartha an lae inniu. Tá áthas orainn an taispeántas seo a fheiceáil ag dul go Leitir Ceanainn, ag cinntiú go mbeidh lucht féachana ar fud na tíre ábalta leas agus sásamh a bhaint as na saothair chumhachtacha seo.”

Dúirt Fionnuala McBride, AIB Leitir Ceanainn: “Tá an-bhród orainn fáilte a chur roimh thaispeántais Dhuais Phortráide AIB go Leitir Ceanainn. Is deis iontach é seo Duais Phortráide AIB — ceann de na taispeántais bhliantúla ealaíne is mó a bhíonn ar siúl sa Ghailearaí Náisiúnta — a cheiliúradh anseo i nDún na nGall. Tá ról lárnach ag an chomórtas i gceiliúradh éagsúlacht cleachtas agus léirmhínithe ar phortráidíocht. Aithníonn muid tábhacht na n-ealaíon inár bpobal agus an gá le tallann den scoth a chur chun cinn, go háitiúil agus ar fud na hÉireann. Molaim do gach duine cuairt a thabhairt ar an taispeántas san Ionad Cultúrtha Réigiúnach chomh luath agus is féidir.”

Chun tacú leis an Duais Phortráide AIB, cuirfidh an tIonad Cultúrtha Réigiúnach sraith cainteanna, turas agus ceardlanna ar siúl le linn thréimhse an taispeántais, ag tabhairt deiseanna breise do lucht féachana de gach aois leas agus sásamh a bhaint as an ealaín chomhaimseartha agus as an phortráidíocht.

Beidh Duais Phortráide AIB 2025 ar taispeáint san Ionad Cultúrtha Réigiúnach, Leitir Ceanainn, ón 4 Aibreán go dtí an 20 Meitheamh 2026. Tá cead isteach saor in aisce, ach beidh réamháirithint de dhíth le haghaidh roinnt imeachtaí, nuair is gá. Le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais, tabhair cuairt ar www.regionalculturalcentre.com

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