The aim of the course is to explore and examine a selection of the paintings that are held in our national collection of art under various themes; to re-engage with the nation’s political and cultural history through their visual representation; to understand how Irish art production was compromised by the same historical and political events and to become familiar with some of the nation’s finest artists.
The course runs for 6 weeks.  Each week a different theme will be explored through the examination of different paintings - giving an overview of the artist, the painting’s style and composition, the context of the painting and its role in the visualizing of Irish political, cultural and social history.

Week 1 – Politics and its role in Irish art production.
Week 2 – Genre images of the 19th century.
Week 3 – Land issues in Irish art.
Week 4 – Home and Away – foreign influences on Irish artists.
Week 5 – The Celtic Revival and the Yeats Family.
Week 6 – Irish Women artists and the arrival of Modernism.

Each class starts at 7.30pm, and you can jump on board for the full six weeks for just €100, or hop on board for a single class, at €20. 

Rosemarie Devereux is a freelance art historian from Greystones.

She recently attended UCD as a mature student from where she graduated with a BA Hons in Irish Studies and Art History and a Masters in ‘Irish Visual Culture 1885-1915’. After graduating she become a volunteer in the NGI and published two articles in the Irish Arts Review. Between 2017 and 2019 she was the facilitator for the Irish Studies in Painting module for 2nd Year Art History students in UCD.   Since late 2018 up to March 2020 she ran a series of private Irish art history courses in the National Gallery as well as a course on Irish Art and History in the Whale Theatre. She has recently been accepted onto the tour guide panel of the National Gallery.  This autumn she will be giving a new course on European art history to be held in the Whale Theatre as well as a repeat of last year’s Irish art history course.  Both are due to begin in October 2020.



This is a socially distanced class which adheres to current Covid-19 guidelines. There will be a maximum of 30 tickets available and new policies and procedures will be in place at the theatre. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. 

Tickets are available at www.whaletheatre.ie