'Spoken in Fibre' exhibition envisages Co. Cavan poet's work in wool
Created by Sandra Coote, a traditional artist originally from Co. Longford, who found a unique way to honour her heritage -illustrating the poetry of her husband Alan's great-grandfather, Charles J Coote, using the wool from her own flock of sheep.
Reared on a farm, Sandra's deep connection to the land has always been a source of inspiration.
She lives and works alongside Alan on the predominantly beef family farm, with a small flock of native breed and BFL sheep in Virginia.
Sandra also runs her own venture, Crafts of Ireland, where she draws on generations of rural life to create deeply personal artwork that bridges the past and the present.
'Spoken in Fibre' combines Charles J. Coote's evocative poems – rich with reflection on his life and the countryside – with handcrafted illustrations made from wool from the sheep that graze the very land that Charles once walked.
One of the 'Spoken in Fibre' artworks
Sandra said: "Charles was born in 1840, the son of a tenant farmer on the Headford estate.
"He received a higher level of education than most of his generation. There appears to have been an emphasis on education in the family."
The artist said Coote attended a local national school in Ryefield, Virginia, and then "may have received further education at the Gilson Endowed School in Oldcastle, which was built in 1826".
"We do know that his brother James attended here and later became the first teacher in a new school in Corlespratten in Co. Cavan at the age of 17," she said.
"The farm had earlier been split between his father and his uncle. However, his uncle, James Coote, emigrated to New Zealand in 1862 and he took over this tenancy and the farm once again became a single tenancy."
One of the 'Spoken in Fibre' artworks
Sandra said Charles Coote purchased the freehold on the farm in 1903, following the Land Acts. Sandra's husband, Alan, is at least the sixth generation of the family to farm the land.
"Charles continued to write poems up until his death at the age of 90, with the last poem found in his pocket when he passed away," Sandra said.
"This poem was printed posthumously in the weekly Irish Times.
"We know that he was writing poems from 1905, following extensive searches of newspaper archives and currently have 20 pieces that he wrote. We hope that more searches might result in us finding more of his work."
Sandra's artistry weaves together memory, legacy, and landscape, offering a heartfelt tribute to Irish rural traditions and the enduring stories they inspire.
'Spoken in Fibre' will run until Saturday, August 23.
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