Luan Gallery — Attraction in County Westmeath

Here’s the thing. I hadn’t been in Athlone for several years and had forgotten what a lovely town it is to just wander around on a good day.

On this good day my head was full of stories old and new as I came from the delightful Village Bookshop and found chance taking me in the direction of the Luan Gallery, where I was about to be introduced to deeper, darker stories - here were tales of Ireland’s past, real and imagined, and horrors that had somehow found themselves awake in paint and staring out over the magnificent river view from this immaculately maintained building.

I don’t know why the crisp, cold-ish beauty of that Irish day should have gelled so intriguingly with the twisted creatures on the wall, but it did. Or perhaps I just need to see a good psychiatrist.

It’s OK, I’m not going to turn into one of those guys that you run screaming across the street to escape from ( well, no more than usual ); but I had walked into Irish artist Kevin Mooney’s one-man exhibition entitled ‘Tuberclerosies’.

I know that there is a LOT more going on than I could grasp in one brief visit, but my immediate surface reaction was that here was seriously challenging work that seemed to have partly sprung from horror films and literature: Image-blasts of ‘Midsommar’/ ‘Wicker Man’ mingled with Lovecraft’s diseased, transformed Dunwich Horrors and seasoned with the upside-down cultural comments on colonialism from the zombie apocalypse movie ‘Blood Quantum’.

And try saying all that after a few glasses of cheer.

Believe me, I could bend your ear all day; but instead let me point you to those ladies who hold the front desk and who had the thankless job of listening to my bubbling, semi-coherent enthusiasms.

Tess was just changing shift with Charlotte - although it’s entirely possible that the latter was simply escaping from my ramblings — and both were able to help put the exhibition into a context that I could appreciate. They also personify that ‘cead mile failte’ that seems to be rapidly becoming a distant memory. They are wonderful ambassadors for the Luan Gallery.

I have to give especial mention, however, to Aoife, who I was thrilled to discover was quite the authority on the horror film/literature field. As I’m an old geezer — perched precariously on the twig — who has loved this stuff for more than fifty years, she quite made my day. On top of which she wears her very considerable knowledge lightly. She is a joy to listen to.

Mr. Mooney, I hope that you appreciate these ladies! And yes, I’ll definitely be back to the gallery the next time...

Perfect location with endless possibilities, but maybe it's being mis-managed because there was very little art on display. Decent-sized gallery with empty floors! Bring in more sculptures, hire a live cello player or some type of low-lying "artsy" musician, set them up in a corner playing soft classical music, offer free coffee, then charge a $5 or $10 door fee. Also, i would utilize the riverfront deck for something fun, maybe some funky lighting with 3 or 4 sets of tables and chairs for guests to enjoy a few minutes of sitting. Jazz the place up a bit and you could have a real "masterpiece"...

Unique beautiful venue with a mixture of old and new the former public library built 1897 as a temperance hall and newly designed part. The "Nighscapes and Midden" exhibition is well worth visiting and will get you reflecting...on lots of things ,the uncertainty we're all facing,and thinking of our connections with people passed,and Mother Earth, with my favourite time of the year Samhain just around the corner,and my complete lack of temperance. Friendly welcoming staff,and it's a public gallery free...