A Woman’s Place, Wednesday 7th November, 11.10 PM on RTÉ One.
This film captures the work of Belfast based renowned artist Noel Murphy’s six-month journey as he paints all 53 women members of the Oireachtas in one single portrait.
The completed work was unveiled on International Women’s Day 2018 in March, marking both the centenary of the 1918 election of Countess Constance Markievicz, the first woman in the world to hold a cabinet position, and the record number of female TDs in the 32nd Dáil following the introduction of the gender quota in 2016.
The film takes the viewer on a journey combining politics and art, where broadcaster and journalist Eamonn Mallie talks to a representative number of deputies about issues concerning women entering politics and the significance of historical figures such as Countess Markievicz. The documentary also gives a penetrating insight into the artistic journey, from conception to completion of the work, showing how the emotions and personalities of the women are captured on canvas.
The documentary was the idea of Eamonn Mallie, who wanted to highlight the artistic process behind the historic work and the personalities behind the portrait. “I was very impressed by the calibre and independence of all those we interviewed. What struck me is that they were very independent and were not hidebound by party dogma,” said Mr Mallie.
Commenting on the work former Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD said: “the painting by Noel Murphy is exceptional and really captures the essence of the strong women in the Oireachtas today. However, women in politics should not be in any way confined to a canvas or a TV documentary. We need a critical mass of women in Irish politics. We live in an ‘unfinished democracy’ in Ireland until that is achieved. There is a critical need for women, in business or in politics, and powerful women do not need to be a rarity.”
She went on to say; ‘’the unconscious tone of male values is still driving content and coverage of Irish politics, particularly with its adversarial nature.’’
Belfast based artist Noel Murphy was previously commissioned by the Northern Ireland Assembly to capture all 108 members in session. Noel was only the second artist to do this. Another piece of his acclaimed work is a portrait of Michael Collins which was unveiled at the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum for the annual Collins Griffith Inauguration in 2015.
Commenting on his making of the Oireachtas portrait artist Noel Murphy said: “Basically it unites the story of the First Dáil with the current Oireachtas. There are two elements that come together rather than it being simply a portrait of 53 politicians. It shows the passage of time.’’
‘A Woman’s Place’, directed by Declan McGrath, was originally commissioned by Oireachtas TV and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.