Book Launch & Art Exhibition See Armagh County Museum Packed To The Rafters
Some Photos From The Event
It was great to see Armagh County Museum packed to capacity last night for the book launch of Byddi Lee’s new novel ‘Barren’ and the opening of Frances McKenna’s new Art Exhibition.
An evening of shared creativity and healing, creative insight, and extraordinary storytelling. When art bleeds emotion and writing paints raw truth; colours, brush strokes and words converge in stories of resilience their collaborative journey intertwines vibrant paintings and powerful narrative.
If you weren't able to make it on the evening you can order a signed copy of ‘Barren’ HERE and the eBook is be available HERE
You can also visit the ‘Art By Frances McKenna’ exhibition at Armagh County Museum. The exhibition is open daily (Mon-Sat) until 28th June.
Read more Here
Here are a few photos from last night…
Photos by Armagh Today
BARREN by Byddi Lee
In time, we are never alone - Two grieving women are connected across time when the forces of nature activate a magical bronze axe they both possess, opening a portal through which they view each other's worlds. When it becomes clear they both need saving, a way must be found to heal the calamities in both their worlds - before time runs out. www.byddilee.com
Barren by Byddi Lee
In drought-struck California, pregnant Irish emigrant Aisling looks forward to becoming a mother. She tends her idyllic garden, speaking to her unborn baby and imagining their new life together. When a sudden miscarriage strikes, she is devastated – but her unborn daughter’s spirit, Poppy, stays behind to comfort her.
In Neolithic Ireland, Zosime is a proud huntress and keeper of a magical bronze axe that holds the story of her tribe. When she loses yet another pregnancy, she fears her story, and her place in the tribe, will be lost. When a comet strikes, bringing famine and ruin, the tribe fears it is the wrath of the gods. Zosime volunteers to make the odyssey to find a magical cure. The tribe insists she leave behind her bronze axe, but, breaking her word, she steals it from a sleeping shaman and sets out across the devastated landscape of ancient Armagh.
Meanwhile in California, the same bronze axe has been in Aisling’s possession since girlhood, found on her father’s farm in Armagh (where Zosime’s tribe once lived). Grieving from her failed pregnancy, she is unaware of Poppy’s attempts to communicate until an earthquake strikes – toppling the bronze axe onto a rare geode. Touching it, her powers to see through time and space are unleashed. She becomes aware of both Poppy and Zosime – but the connection leaves Poppy trapped between the realm of spirit and the living world.
The price of staying connected means Poppy loses her powers to access the wisdom of the ancestors – which is what she and Aisling desperately need in order to save Zosime and her tribe.
Unless Aisling can trust her own powers and discover the secrets of the bronze axe, her daughter’s spirit, Zosime, and the survivors of her tribe, might be lost forever.
Frances McKenna
Armagh artist Frances McKenna has earned numerous accolades, including the prestigious first prize at the Bass Ireland Award. Her works are held in the collections of prominent institutions such as UTV, Irish News, Stormont, Bass Ireland, Oifig an Taoiseach, and Mooney Hotel Group.
Currently, her paintings beautifully reflect her deep love for Donegal and the natural world. Frances expresses, “I strive to capture a magical moment in time—one that evokes joy, peace and tranquility, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in uplifting atmospheres that touch the soul.”
You can view her artwork at www.francesmckennairishart.com
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