Moate woman’s artistic legacy is exhibited

The late Carmel Antonia Egan's legacy of artistic endeavour will be on display in Moate for years to come, thanks to her generous donation of over 60 paintings to the parish.

The Moate native, who passed away in April last year aged 96, brushed off any ideas of putting on an exhibition during her lifetime, but now her varied works will be put on a permanent display in her home town.

Many of her family and friends gathered recently for a special event where 82 paintings from her collection were put on display in Tuar Ard, a colourful mix of landscapes, nature and still life pieces.

“It's nice that there is a legacy there and there is a piece of her remaining in the town,” her son Paul, who is based in Limerick, told the Westmeath Independent following the exhibition.

He said the family is delighted that the paintings will remain on display in Tuar Ard, where people will be able to see and appreciate them. Otherwise they'd end up in a box or an attic somewhere.

A well known figure in the locality over many decades, Carmel was the daughter of Paddy and Margaret Grogan who had a garage in the town for many years (where the present-day Supermacs is), and wife of Joe Egan whose pub still carries the famous Egan name on Main Street.

Deeply embedded in the life of the town over the years, Carmel had a keen interest in tennis from a young age and was one of the founding members of Moate Tennis Club, situated in the grounds of the Carmelite College. She later took up golf, serving as a Ladies Captain in Moate Golf Club, where her husband was also an active member.

When her four children Maureen, Paul, John and Grainne all left home in the 1980s she turned her passion for antiques and collectables into a business selling second-hand and antique furniture that many people in Moate still fondly recall today. 'Any Ol' Thing' in Main Street, Moate came complete with a museum full of interesting artefacts from the locality's past from butter churns to prams and dressers collected by Carmel and others donated by local people for display.

“I just cannot pass by a junk shop,” Carmel told this paper back in 1986, saying that she purchased a dresser and a settlebed and the museum became a reality from then on.

“People kept bringing me items to make up the museum. This old butter bowl and maker were presented to me by a woman from Ferbane,” the Moate native told the paper at the time as she showed off its many exhibits.

“These old half stone paper bags were used in days gone by for sugar. When the weather was cold people using motor bikes used to put these bags across their chest for warmth,” she explained in the 1986 article.

A very creative person, Carmel had plenty of outlets for her talent from arranging the flowers in the church, tending to her beautiful garden or making the personalised gift cards that her friends were lucky enough to receive.

In the 1990s she started painting, initially taking lessons from Sr Bernard and then from Sr Mary. In more recent years, she attended classes with John Galvin, a local artist and a good friend. Her family recalled that she got plenty of inspiration from TV programmes such as Bob Ross's ‘The Joy of Painting’, Frank Clarke’s ‘Simply Painting’ and David Willis’ ‘Irish Paint Magic' and one room was chock full of her pieces.

From then on painting was a big part of her life, and her son Paul recalled that she loved nature, birds and animals which inspired her initially. He remembered fondly that she loved painting with her other members of her family, he himself often came and painted with her, as did his sister Gráinne, a graphic designer, and her grand daughter Gillian working on landscapes and seascapes together, right up to months before her death on April 16, 2022.

A devout Catholic, Carmel Antonia Egan was a regular church goer and wanted to donate her paintings to Fr Farrell and the parish after her death. He came up with the idea of putting on an exhibition to display her works, and afterwards many of them will be on permanent display in Tuar Ard.

“Through it, we hope to share what an inspiration she was to us, her children. She was a wonderful, nurturing, ever loving mother. She was gently soft spoken with a mischievous streak and always thinking of others. She had a strong belief in God, and the power of the saints, and she'll be looking down on us now, wishing we hadn't included a photo of her!” her children Maureen, Paul, John and Grainne said poignantly in the programme to mark the exhibition on February 16 last.