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I was born in Tubbercurry
in 1947 and went to the local national school. There
was never a time as far as I can remember that I
wasn't doodling with a pencil or dabbling with paint.
I have had no professional training, just learning
as I went along. When I was in my late teens I brought
some of my work to Sean Keating R.H.A. He gave me
great encouragement and told me no matter what happened
to keep painting and so I have.
After I left school when I was fourteen I started
painting and decorating and spent two years working
with the Brennan brothers, Bernie and Eddie, first
class tradesmen and decorators. Their father Pakie
was the first person I saw graining in the traditional
way. He was the best imitation grainer that I
have ever known, he was also a master sign writer.
Bernie was and is one of the best men I ever seen
at lining, a real master and Eddie was also a
real professional and "a hound with a brush"
as his father used to say. I learned a lot from
the Brennan's.
When around sixteen years of age, I started painting
and repairing church statuary and have been doing
this work ever since.
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