“THIS is a new departure for me and, like writing a book or a poem, it is putting your inner feelings out on public view. It is scary, but you can’t stand back and do nothing.”

With these words Mary McGrath, she of the famous equine family, and the greatest cheerleader for the Kerry Bog Pony, describes her one-woman show in Breda Smyth’s Kilcock Art Gallery which is being opened this afternoon, September 30th, by Éanna Ní Lamhna.

Mary goes on: “I’ve been banging on the conservation drum, one way or another, for over 50 years! Now I’m hoping this exhibition will help to start a conversation among people who don’t realise that everyone can make a difference.”

Mary looks at Ireland’s indigenous species and the ways we can all help them survive. She has spent a lifetime working in art conservation, protecting great works of art by Rembrandt, Monet and Francis Bacon in museums here at home and around the world, but her roots in rural Kildare drew her back. Alongside her passion for art is a deep love of Ireland’s unique natural environment, and native breeds.

“This exhibition of paintings and original prints combines my passions for art and native wildlife, and my hope is that the artworks will inspire more people to do what they can to protect Ireland’s wonderful ecosystem.

“It depicts some of our special native mammals, reptiles and birds, showcasing the wonderful diversity and richness of the animals and birds which have survived, despite intensive farming, habitat destruction and the demands of industry.

“Spending time on my smallholding during lockdown highlighted to me what we have already lost; many hares and skylarks, bees, ladybirds and curlew. However, there is always hope, and when hope is combined with positive action it is possible to work wonders.

“Being on a team that re-established the Kerry Bog Pony, which was recognised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and the European Union, helped cultivate my interest in our local wildlife.

“The Kerry Bog Pony is a rare, small, native Irish breed which had almost become extinct by the 1990s. Thanks to advances in DNA analysis, they were identified as a distinct breed. By this time there were only six stallions and 20 mares known to exist.

The ponies survived in a small pocket of land in south Kerry, where they had been used to take turf in from the bog and to carry seaweed to fertilise the fields. Urgent conservation measures were taken, and today there are some 150 mares, with around 60 foals being registered every year.”

Kilcock Art Gallery will host the exhibition until October 21st, and it is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am until 4pm.

Web: kilcockartgallery.ie