cormac o'leary

Corrmac O'Leary was born in Cork City, Ireland in 1969. His family moved to Sligo in 1974. His father John O'Leary (1929-1999)  was a much respected artist and teacher. He first exhibited his cartoons in a 'national cartoon exhibition' in 1979. He studied art from 1987 to 1991 in Sligo Institute of Technology. In 1992 he lived in Barcelona, Spain, working as an aisstant electrician. He returned to Sligo and began his career as an artist in 1993, working from various group studios. While working part time as a Theatre usher, Art gallery asistant and Bookshop cashier, he began to exhibit his artwork locally and nationally throughout the 1990's. He also published many art reviews and artist interviews for the 'Mayo Arts Bulletin' and 'Arts West' magazines, contributing art reviews to Circa magazine, Sculpture Society of Ireland newsletter, and the Sligo Champion. In 1998 he left Sligo to travel thoughout Spain. His first solo show 'Nightcrossing', launched in Sligo Art Gallery in March 1999, was based on this journey from Barcelona to Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Toledo, Madrid and Santiago di Compostella. It was a major success and led to another sell out exhibiton in The Hallward Gallery, Dublin in August 1999. Since then he has had over 30 solo exhibitons and many group exhibitions in Ireland, England and the USA. His paintings are represented in private and public collections in Ireland, England, America, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Australia, and Japan.  He has won numerous awards, including the Iontas painting award, 2001, Milliken Bros ltd. Art Materials award, 2000 and third prize in the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry award for his collection of poems 'Signs on a whitefield' dedicated to his late father, in 2008. A poem dedicated to the late poet Dermot Healy, titled 'Tidelines'  appeared in the Cormorant magazine in 2019.   

Since 2005 he has lived in Leitrim with his partner and four children, working from his studio, a converted shed.