This Artist Captured The Magic of the Fleadh in Acrylic Paint
Words: Izzy Copestake
Conor Larkin is a self-taught artist from Kilrea in County Derry. Larkin describes himself as a bit of a “late bloomer” as he became an artist by profession in his early 40s, after working a range of different jobs along the way, from being a butcher to painting stained glass. Larkin works in acrylic to capture the beauty and movement of Irish landscapes, and his work has found its way to collectors across Ireland, the UK and the rest of the world.
Larkin’s paintings of the Fleadh caught our eye recently, as his brushwork and pallets immortalised the magic and joy of Belfast’s first Fleadh in acrylic paint. We chatted to him about his work.
How would you describe your style?
My style is colourful and expressive. I use bold colour and palette knives to give familiar landscapes a slightly different character. I’m less interested in reproducing every detail and more interested in capturing the light, atmosphere and feeling of a place.
“I use bold colour and palette knives to give familiar landscapes a slightly different character. I’m less interested in reproducing every detail and more interested in capturing the light, atmosphere and feeling of a place.”
I’m also a big fan of traditional music and have been going to festivals and Fleadhs since the mid-1990s, so I jumped at the chance to capture the Fleadh in Belfast—particularly one of my favourite spots, Madden’s Bar.
Did you paint these images of the Fleadh live?
Painting can be a pretty solitary life (normally just me and Bert, the dog) so I jumped at the chance of getting into Belfast for a bit of inspiration on a couple ‘work days’. I’m afraid plein-air painting (painting outdoors) isn’t really my thing. The fresh air dries my paint too quickly—and I was far too busy enjoying the music, atmosphere and occasional Guinness to consider pulling out an easel.
I took photographs while I was at the Fleadh and worked from them later in my home studio.
What do you think these paintings of the Fleadh capture?
Hopefully they capture the craic and the buzz. There was such an uplifting atmosphere, and I loved the colour and chaos of it all, so I felt I had to capture some of it on canvas.
The scenes are painted pretty loosely, but that seems to be what makes them pop. I wasn’t trying to create an exact record—I wanted to capture how the Fleadh felt, with a little creative licence thrown in. I added a few familiar faces from Belfast and the local music scene for good measure.
How can readers support you and your work?
I’m not particularly good at the digital promotion side of things. I’m very much an analogue kind of person—happier with paint, canvas and a palette knife than posts and algorithms. I built up a strong organic following when I first joined Facebook about 15 years ago, but I genuinely haven’t done anything to grow it since. I’m a bit of a dinosaur—I’m relatively new to Instagram and only got around to setting up a website in the past couple of weeks.
I’d be delighted if everyone gave me a follow on Instagram, and I promise to make more of an effort to share my work! As a thank-you, I think I’ll run a wee giveaway of a couple Fleadh prints for my Instagram followers.
I’m fortunate to have great word-of-mouth custom, which keeps me about as busy as one man can handle. Sadly, commissions aren’t really the sort of work I can delegate, so I only have time to paint surplus for one exhibition and sale each year. This year’s will take place at the end of November, (in Kilrea) and I’d be delighted if people came along to see my new work—and give the ego a wee boost.
