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Growing up in an all female household, taboos were something that did not exist in the world of Bebhinn Eilish. Empowered to reject shame, embrace femininity, and see the beauty and power in both herself and those around her by her mother, Bebhinn was introduced to the world of Irish folklore and Celtic mythology early on, all of which inspired and informed the art she would go on to create.
Realising that shame and stigma shrouds so much for so many, Bebhinn felt compelled to use her art as something of a resource for women in unlearning misogyny and stepping into their own divine feminine energy. Within her art, Bebhinn marries the uniquely personal with the collective consciousness, creating a modern and distinctive iteration of Goddesses and symbolism from Ireland’s rich past.
Selected as part of the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival’s ‘A Better City’ initiative, Behinn’s artwork will be displayed in an outdoor gallery exhibition on Crane Street. Celebrating joy, community, and culture, her designs will be featured alongside that of Claire Prouvost, Sophia Vigne Welsh, Mark Conlan, Ruan van Vliet, and Gavin Connell.
Ahead of the exhibition launch on Friday 15 March, we caught up with Bebhinn to get a little more of an insight into the realm of her art. From her favourite pieces of Celtic mythology to the ways in which her creative process has informed her own sense of personhood, Bebhinn expresses herself beautifully.
Growing up I loved folklore and fairy tales. I loved how storytelling allows us to connect with and enter a realm beyond our own. When I was young, my mam used to read stories to me at night, a favourite of mine was George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl. I remember feeling like I lived inside these stories, and the realisation that my imagination was a doorway into visualising these tales was definitely a starting point towards my fixation on mythology, symbolism and the power of storytelling through a visual medium.
My mam also held very pagan beliefs about the sacredness of nature and a reverence for the universe. Because of this, I have always had an inspiring sense of spiritual mystery that spurred my imagination and curious mind, making it really easy to find magic, even in the mundane.
Why make me choose?! There’s too much greatness in so many tales, but if I absolutely have to, I’d pick Bean Sidhe (Banshee) and Leannán Sidhe. When I was young, I was terrified of the Banshee and heard so many stories of her and people hearing her keening the night before a loved one’s passing. This eerie synchronicity is what drew me to her, and at the same time haunted me.
Leannán Sidhe, meaning ‘the fairy lover’, was once one of the Dé Danann (Danú’s children). When men looked to her, she was said to become the most beautiful woman they had ever seen and they would devote themselves to her, becoming so obsessed they would spiral into madness and ultimately die either by their own hand or by wasting away.
W.B. Yeats described her in his book Fairy and Folklore of the Irish Peasantry: “The Leanhaun Shee (fairy mistress) seeks the love of mortals. If they refuse, she must be their slave; if they consent, they are hers, and can only escape by finding another to take their place. The fairy lives on their life, and they waste away. Death is no escape from her.”
Having always been ‘death-obsessed’ since I was young, with many questions about the idea of the afterlife etc., the myths of the Banshee and Leannán Sidhe have stuck with me for the longest. Like my relationship with death and grief, these tales once terrified me, but now bring me endless inspiration.
Creating art has given me more purpose than anything else in my life. I’ve lived my entire life knowing that I was an artist, that it was the only thing in my life that would satiate me, although I never imagined my art would become what it is today.
The journey to, and the process of creating my feminist art has given me a stronger foundation when working through personal struggles and my evolving understanding of myself and what it means to be a woman. It is very much a reflection of my journey through womanhood, my findings, and what I have learned about our shared collective experience as women in a patriarchal world, built by men, for men.
My art process serves as a conduit through which universal taboos can be played with and explored. The truth is I don’t feel I have an identity beyond being an artist. If I wasn’t creating work or at the very least thinking about it, I struggle to imagine who I would be, or what life I would lead. Not that I’m not good at anything else, but nothing else makes sense to me.
If anything, it’s a dream. How unbelievably fortunate am I to do what I love best and be able to sustain myself? I’m forever grateful and honoured to resonate with every person who supports my work, and those who don’t (they make my work that little more interesting!).
Although it doesn’t make it less enjoyable, being an artist is definitely not the romanticised life you see pushed out on social media. It can be disheartening, financially rocky and sometimes overwhelming, but that doesn’t take away from how fulfilling and rewarding it is.
It’s seen as a meaningless platitude to many, used to comfort someone or quite frankly to tell them to shut up worrying, but I’ve always liked the idea of ‘what’s meant for you won’t pass you by’. I’m a very excitable person and this is something my mam would reassure me of when dealing with episodes of mania or anxiousness. The idea that if fate intends you to have something you will receive it is actually something I believe.
That’s not to say you don’t have to work hard for what you want. My mam would also tell me that it’s when you’re most comfortable and content within yourself, when you really start to enjoy your own company that everything you have wished for will come to you. It also serves as a reminder in times of chaos to focus on myself, and nurture myself and my art. Everything else is secondary and if things go well, that’s just a bonus.
You interviewed Rohmie (RJaded Jewellery) before, but I can’t not mention her. Rohmie’s jewellery is so delicious, empowering and unique, I am so honoured to wear her ‘lucky Irish penny’ every day. Make sure to get yourself a treasure!
To name a few others; Wee Nuls‘ gorgeous feminist murals. Sorcha Francis Ryder‘s beautiful photographs; I am especially obsessed with her photos of one of my favourite bands, Lankum. I also want to shout out my partner Eoin James Quinn and his collaborator Colm Lennon who are currently working on Damascus, a short film about Freddie Scappaticci in the wake of his recent death and the Kenova report. I’m excited to see what these and many other contemporary Irish artists have in store for us next!
Bebhinn Eilish’s work features alongside artwork by Claire Prouvost, Sophia Vigne Welsh, Ruan van Vliet, Gav Connell, and Mark Conlan as part of St Patrick’s Festival’s ‘A Better City’ initiative, which aims to contribute to the revitalisation of the neighbourhood in Dublin 8.