Finscéal mo shinsir / The Legend of my ancestors

Original Painting

Medium: Pallet knife acrylic on canvas.
Size: 30”x 20”

Inspired by legend and the beautiful, forested area in Castleshane, this painting tells the story of how the McKenna family came to Monaghan. Although it is just a mythological tale, it is one that can be seen on several gravestones of the clan dating back to the 17th century. It tells of how a young McKenna prince based near Kells in County Meath, went on a hunt which brought him north to Monaghan in search of an elusive stag. However, after traveling so far, he was tired and offered hospitality by a local chieftain by the name of Treanor. The young man fell in love with the chieftain’s daughter and so began the McKenna dynasty. I’m not sure what happened to the stag, but my hope is that he got away. In the painting, I imagined the stag, standing atop a wooded hill, luring the huntsman further and further from home to his destiny in what we now know as County Monaghan.