Poet Padraic Fiacc in John Minihan's Home, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, 1995

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John Minihan , Irish, b.1946

Title

Date2021

MediumGelatin silver print

Dimensions

20.3 × 25.4 cm

Credit LinePresented, 2021

Object numberNGI.2021.144

DescriptionThe Belfast-born poet Padraic Fiacc (1924 – 2019) was a member of Aosdána from 1981 – the year he also received the Poetry Ireland Award – until his death in January 2019. Fiacc was a prolific writer of poetry throughout his long and troubled life spent between New York and Belfast. His stark poems based on his direct experiences in Northern Ireland were initially vilified, and later praised for their intense depiction of urban violence and sectarianism. He also wrote graphically about growing up in poverty in the notorious Hell’s Kitchen district of New York.
Michael D. Higgins, an admirer of Fiacc, once described his work in the following way: “Having experienced tragedy and loss, Padraic Fiacc was never afraid to reflect dark, deeply emotive and disturbing elements in his verse. His empathy for the frightened and maimed individuals on either side of the divide shone through his work.”
Minihan met Fiacc in Belfast in 1984 and the pair formed an immediate life-long friendship. In an essay about the poet, Minihan writes: “Padraic Fiacc was to poetry, what the artist Francis Bacon was to painting. Unlike Bacon, Fiacc spent most of his writing life in literary wilderness. Poets and photographers are image makers. Great poets leave us great line, as photographers leave us great pictures.” Minihan certainly achieved a great picture of Fiacc in the work at hand. This portrait was made at Minihan’s home in Oxfordshire, where he live for much for the 1980s and 90s. Fiacc sits at Minihan’s kitchen table with a poster from one of Minihan’s exhibitions on Athy behind him, creating an interesting connection to one of the most important series in Minihan’s oeuvre. Furthermore, there is a framed advertisement for Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” in the background. In one picture, Minihan has managed to combine aspects of his personal and professional lives that are most dear to him: his childhood in Athy; his friendship with Beckett; and his love of poetry. Of course, centre stage in the work is his dear friend Padraic Fiacc, who was an influential figure in the artist’s life.

Inscriptiontitle, date © John Minihan
ProvenancePurchased, 2021