“Theocracy – The Emigrant’s Artist” A Fund-raising preview film screening, based on the Life of Bernard Canavan

Over the past year, Ireland’s acclaimed director, Sé Merry Doyle, has been making a Documentary about the life of the award-winning Irish Artist Bernard Canavan, who’s regarded as ‘The Emigrant’s Artist’.

This special preview screening and art auction is being held to raise funds to bring this powerful feature documentary to final completion.

Bernard Canavan has for the past 30 years been renowned for his paintings of the Irish Diaspora, the Irish Navies and Nurses who came over to work in England in the 1950’s and 60’s, capturing them leaving home; the indignity of the boat-train, the harshness of the building sites, the crowded pubs where men went ‘home’ to drink their dinner. The world of subbies, piece work, being ‘on the lump’, digging the tunnels; Bernard Canavan was inspired to paint these from his own experience of working as a Navvy in England in the late 1950s.

However now in his 80’s, after a long career as an artist, Canavan dares to paint another story about how in 1944, he was abandoned by his young unmarried parents and placed in St Patricks Guild, a so called Orphanage in Dublin, later to become known as ‘The House Of Shame’; here he spent the first six years of his life, until one day a couple, the Canavan’s, came to buy a child from the nuns and Mrs Canavan took pity on the sickly, malnourished boy and took him home to Edgeworthstown, in County Longford.

In our film we see Canavan and his Curator John O’Hora, unveil a series of new painting’s that are both beautiful and shocking, as Canavan confronts what the Catholic Church in Ireland did to him and to all those who found themselves in orphanages and mother and baby homes in 20th century Ireland. The new collection of paintings, ‘Theocracy’ are not easy, we see priests in flagrante, Clergy ripping new-born babies out of their mother’s arms, nuns digging graves. ‘Theocracy’ deals, in stark brilliant visual terms, with the vice-like grip, in which the Catholic Church held Irish society for far too long.

This collection of paintings rage for all of the thousands of voiceless unmarried mothers and their children who suffered abuse at the hands of Ireland’s Catholic Church.

Please help us to bring Bernard’s vital and important story to completion. Come along to this Preview Screening on Sunday May 25^th (ICC 2pm), following which Sé Merry Doyle, Bernard Canavan and John O’Hora will do a Q&A. The entry £20.00 fee will go towards the completion of this production and if you would like to make a further donation on the day, or at anytime, we would be extremely grateful. If you are unable to attend the screening but would like to donate, email the Producer, Rosalind Scanlon on [email protected]

Also on Sunday May 25^th, Four Artworks which have been donated for auction to raise funds for the film will be on display.

Below are Images of the Four Artworks Up For Auction

Painting 1. “The Ate-In House” By Bernard Canavan

Starting Bid/ Reserve Price for Auction £1000.00

Painting 2. “What A Wonderful Night For A Moondance” By Maire Gartland

Starting Bid/ Reserve Price for Auction £500.00

Painting 3. “Portrait of James Joyce” By Anne Boulting

Starting Bid/ Reserve Price for Auction £1000.00

Artwork 4. “The Threatening Storm’ by Thomas McCullough Starting Bid/ Reserve Price for Auction £500.00

If you would like to come to the ICC to view these Artworks at anytime contact Rosalind to arrange a viewing time. Call 07742320001

Sé Merry Doyle and Loopline Film would like to thank everyone who has donated these artworks for this auction; and we would also like to thank everyone who has already donated money to the film “Theocracy – The Emigrant’s Artist”. 

“Theocracy The Emigrant’s Artist”, is a dark tale told by an enigmatic man and it speaks volumes for all the thousands of survivors and for those who sadly did not manage to survive.If you would like more information about this project or how you can contribute, email [email protected]