Thursday 6th November 11.30 AM- 5 PM, RHA Friends Room
Getting going and keeping going is a professional development event which aims to provide inspiration, pathways and mentoring supports for artists wishing to emerge and sustain an arts practice in later life.
The day will be divided into two parts and starts with a morning session featuring artists Hughie O’Donoghue and Paul MacCormaic in conversation, followed by an afternoon mentoring session.
Tea and coffee served from 11am.
Discussion: 11.30am – 12.45pm
This discussion invites experienced and emerging artists Hughie O’Donoghue and Paul MacCormaic respectively, to look at the challenges, models and tools to develop and sustain a practice in later life and explore how to stay motivated and connected in the second part of your career.
Mentoring: 1.30pm – 5.00pm
The afternoon offers small-group mentoring sessions led by Hughie O’Donoghue and Paul MacCormaic. Each session lasts one hour and includes up to four artists per group.
There are three time slots available per mentor with up to four artists per slot. Places will be allocated strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.
Artists are asked to bring a laptop with examples of their work to present during their session. Each artist will have up to 15 minutes to present and receive feedback on their work. This is an opportunity to share experiences, and engage in peer learning. Please consider which mentor would be most beneficial to your practice when booking.
Available Time Slots:
- 1:30 – 2:30 PM
- 2:40 – 3:40 PM
- 4:00 – 5:00 PM
We recommend booking early to ensure your choice of timeslot.
Tickets
There are two ticketing options for this event:
- Discussion only : €5
- Discussion + Mentoring session : €15
Tickets can be reserved here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/getting-going-and-keeping-going-tickets-1777728446639?aff=oddtdtcreator
Artist’s Bios
Hughie O’Donoghue
Born 1953 O’Donoghue lives and works in Erris, Co Mayo and London.
He completed an M.A. at Goldsmiths in 1982 was Artist in Residence at National Gallery, London 1984-85, Irish Museum of Modern Art in 1997-98. Received an Honorary Doctorate from NUI, Cork in 2005. Elected Royal Academician, 2009, Aosdána, 2013 and Honorary Fellow of Goldsmiths, University of London 2022.
His work is in museum and private collections around the world.
Paul MacCormaic
Born in Dublin in 1961, Paul grew up in Finglas, a working class suburb on the edge of the city, and continues to live and work here in the capital. As a mature student, he read History of Art at UCD and then went on to Dún Laoghaire IADT to study Fine Art, graduating in 2006. Since then, he has worked as a professional artist with some part-time teaching in NCAD and the City of Dublin Education and Training Board.
MacCormaic is an artist who uses realist painting and collage to communicate his ideas and his idiosyncratic view of contemporary life. Much of his work sometimes is imbued with humour as he makes sometimes frivolous, sometimes profound, social comment. His work is political with a small p. He works in mini-series, where he researches a topic and makes art from his findings. They usually comprise 6 to 20 pieces of work. As well as direct observation, much of my source material is filtered from mass media, especially glossy magazines and TV.
This year, 2025, Paul completed a series of portraits called The Vanquished Writing History that was shown in the RHA. It was his 10th solo exhibition. The 18 portraits were of campaigners who have contributed immeasurably to Irish life. He then took on a Per Cent for Art commission from the HSE that was installed in September. Paul has been shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize three times. He is currently attending the RHA residency on Clare Island.
Programme Partners
Age & Opportunity is the national organisation working to enhance wellbeing for older people through participation in sport and physical activity, arts and creative engagement, personal development, community collaboration and active citizenship. We envision a society where all older people can be active, visible, creative, connected and confident about ageing. One of our key priorities is to amplify the voice of older people and influence policy development through research, evaluation and deliberative public engagement. We work with local communities and organisations across the country to run a range of programmes and activities in three key areas: the arts, physical activity and life-long learning.
www.ageandopportunity.ie/arts/
The Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) is an artist owned organisation dedicated to supporting artists at all stages of their career. The RHA is committed to engaging with current audiences, and encouraging new and diverse audiences, by presenting exciting exhibitions and learning opportunities through its public engagement programme. The RHA nurtures a synergy between artists and the public in the appreciation, support and enjoyment of art.
