No doubt Padraig Pearse would have liked the many Irish proverbs. Take "is glas iad na cnuic i bhfad uainn" ("faraway hills are green"), which features in one of the paintings by Robert Ballagh. The artist's new show is at 27 Pearse Street, the birthplace of Pearse, which has been restored. It runs until Saturday, May 12th.
The proverbs "refer to the images, but of course they are about people", says Ballagh.
Among the artists and friends at the opening is Phyllis Browne, widow of the late Noel Browne, who has travelled up from Spiddal to view the work, and her grandson, Ruairi O Scanaill. The rooms are nearly empty by the time film director Jim Sheridan arrives to view the collection. It's the best time to see it. At the moment, Sheridan is busy looking for an actor to play opposite Kate Winslet in a film to be called East of Harlem.
The people from Zeus Design, designers of the bilingual catalogue, are here too - Paul Rattigan, David Gibbons and Joan Burke. They're pleased that they've "eliminated the linguistic priority" and given Irish and English equal status.
"There's a very strong feeling about this building," says Des Bonass, president of the Irish Trade Union Cuba Solidarity Committee, "It's an important building to be standing in. He couldn't have found a better place."