Pictures: Residents' art show proves a hit at St Colman’s House in Macroom

St Colman’s House, which is a residential home tucked away on a hill in Macroom, recently held an exhibition of art created by its residents.

The property, a beautiful Georgian two-storey building, houses eight residents.

Each resident has their own room and they come and go as they wish.

They have art classes, art therapy, they bake and enjoy walks.

The local priest calls regularly to say Mass and a local horticulturist assists with the garden.

Peter Tinsley, who is the manager of St Colman’s House, said the recent art exhibition was a great success.

“The pictures were all made by the residents.

“It is our second consecutive year holding this event. It has proved very popular and successful, and we will hold it again next year.

“All the families of the residents were invited and there was a lovely atmosphere there on the day.

“There was food provided by the staff members on the day,” he said.

Mr Tinsley said the main theme for the art exhibition was ‘home’ and the residents were presented with the task of drawing or painting a picture of Macroom or of another place that they felt connected to.

“It was a mixture of pictures and paintings. The residents had a choice of drawing pictures of Macroom or pictures of somewhere local to them.

“If a certain place or area resonated with a resident, they could choose to make a picture out of that. They turned out great.

“The quality was so good. We sold all the pictures. The money raised from the sale of the pictures goes to Cork Mental Health Foundation.

“This is great news as they do great work.”

“Art is great for the residents,” said the manager of St Colman’s House. “They all love doing art. It is great for their creativity.

“They do it twice a week and they take great pride in their finished products. Hannie Corkery and Noreen Bradley are great.

“They are facilitators and volunteers. They gave up a lot of their time. They come to us every Tuesday on a weekly basis.

“They assist the residents in making the pictures.”

Built in the 1920s, St Colman’s House was originally used as a parochial house before being taken over by the HSE and turned into a community healthcare facility.

Mr Tinsley is delighted with their facility.

“St Colman’s House was opened in 1996. It used to be a parochial home. It is a residential home for eight residents.

“St Colman’s House is a great facility,” he said.

Hannie Corkery, who is the art facilitator, paid tribute to the residents for their artwork following the exhibition.

“The day went very well. There were around 20 pictures up. The quality was very good, and the residents deserve great praise.

“The theme was Macroom. There were some lovely pictures of Macroom town. These included pictures of local shops, and there were also pictures from their own homes.

“There was a nice crowd in attendance. People from the town came and we had business owners and local politicians.

“It was a very successful day.”