“Léas mheangadh na gréine” is an Irish term, loosely translated to “A ray of the sun’s smile.”

The inspiration for this piece came from walking past the Plimsoll pub in North London. If you know the pub, you will recognize that on a sunny day, you will see its patrons sitting and standing on the street outside it. It is lucky enough to get the evening sunlight, and when walking past, the scene is one of pure joy.

Last spring, on the first sunny day of the season, I was sitting outside the pub and felt the warm sun hit my skin for what felt like the first time in years. The happiness it brought me was something that I could not describe. However, upon reading the works of the late Manchán Magan, I came to understand the power of the Irish language in explaining feelings associated with the natural world around us. Finally, I was able to put words to the feeling I was experiencing, and it was all the more special it being my native language.

So, the artwork tries to capture it all: the sun, the happiness, the patrons of the Plimsoll pub, and the beginning of spring.