The Story Behind Dance of the Faeries

For me, art is visual poetry. 

Every painting I create begins with something that has touched me deeply. Sometimes it's a landscape that has stopped me in my tracks. Sometimes it's a memory, a fleeting moment, or a place that has stayed with me long after I've left it. Very often, it's a story.

My paintings aren't simply about capturing what I see. They are about capturing what I feel. They are my way of preserving memories, celebrating Ireland's beauty and keeping stories alive.

Dance of the Faeries is one of the most personal paintings I have ever created.

It wasn't inspired by a photograph or a walk in the countryside. It began many years ago, listening to my mum, Mary McGovern, tell stories from her childhood in County Donegal.

Like so many families in Ireland, stories were simply part of everyday life. They were passed from one generation to the next, told around kitchen tables and remembered long after the conversation had ended.

One story stayed with me more than any other. It was the story of her grandfather and a fairy ring. As a child, I listened with complete fascination. I imagined moonlit fields, music drifting on the breeze and mysterious figures dancing where no one else could see them. Whether I believed every detail didn't really matter. The story filled my imagination, and somehow it never left me.

Years later, when I became a full-time artist, A neighbour asked my mother if she would like to participate in a community event and did she have any fairy stories from Donegal. Mum has a few and I urged her to tell the story about her grandfather.  She did tell her story and it got filmed and when I heard it again, I knew I had to paint it.

I realised I didn't want to paint a fairy tale.

I wanted to paint the feeling the story had left with me.

Rather than illustrating a single moment, I wanted to create an atmosphere. A painting that captured mystery, movement and wonder. A place where, just for a moment, the ordinary world gives way to something magical.

For me, that's what Dance of the Faeries became.

It isn't a painting that asks you to believe in fairies.

It simply invites you to remember what it feels like to wonder.

My Mum's Story

I feel incredibly fortunate that my mum's telling of this family story has been recorded.

Hearing her tell it in her own words is far more special than anything I could write. Her voice, her expressions and the way she tells the story capture the warmth of Ireland's oral storytelling tradition, where family stories are passed lovingly from one generation to the next.

You can watch my mum, Mary McGovern, tell the story that inspired Dance of the Faeries here:

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZCtJgYptt8M?si=5Og4FcCCJAnu_Z_R

(After you've watched the video, I'd love to know what you think. Did it bring back memories of stories from your own childhood?)

From Story to Canvas

As I painted, I wasn't thinking about whether the story was fact or folklore.

I was thinking about imagination.

About those stories that stay with us throughout our lives.

About how certain places in Ireland still seem to hold an air of mystery, where ancient trees, quiet fields and changing light make it easy to understand why our ancestors believed there was magic all around them.

That sense of wonder is what I hoped to capture on the canvas.

One of my favourite moments happened at a craft fair when I shared the story behind the painting with a visitor. They listened intently, smiled and before walking away smiled and announced they now believed in Faeries now!

Whether they  meant it or not, it reminded me that stories still have the power to spark our imagination.

More Than a Painting

Since completing Dance of the Faeries, I've been overwhelmed by the number of people who've asked whether prints are available.

That has meant so much to me because it tells me people are connecting with more than just the image. They're connecting with the story behind it.

To me, that's what art is all about.

A painting isn't simply something to hang on a wall.

It's a way of sharing memories, emotions and stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

I hope that when you look at Dance of the Faeries, you don't just see dancing figures beneath the trees.

I hope it reminds you of the stories you heard as a child, the people who told them, and the magic that can still be found in Ireland's landscapes if we take a moment to look.

Thank you for taking the time to read the story behind this painting.

I hope you enjoy listening to my mum tell it as much as I always have.

And who knows...

The next time you notice a perfect ring in the grass or pass an old hawthorn tree, perhaps you'll pause for just a moment and wonder.

Dance of the Faeries

Original artwork Sold, limited edition prints are available.

If this story has resonated with you, I'd be delighted if this painting found a place in your home, where its story can continue for generations to come.