Oisin Caught in a Time Warp

James Healy, The Leinster Leader, Thursday 3 August 2000

Fans of the Hopkins festival will tell you that it is an event which celebrates creativity of all kinds.

Although the spirit of Gerard Manley Hopkins provides a focus for the gathering, participants are treated to a diverse feast of artistic fare. One of the most interesting contributors to this feast is the locally based sculptor James McKenna whose exhibitions are now a regular and much anticipated feature of the proceedings.

This year's Hopkins Summer school had as one of its main talking points a huge McKenna sculpture displayed outside the front door of the assembly building. The work showed a larger than life horse and ride and was titled Oisin Caught In A Time Warp, or, Oisin in Dhiaidh ne Féinne..

Artistic Director Desmond Egan told me the formidable piece was for sale at a price in excess of £100,000.

'James McKenna is possibly the finest artist working in Ireland today.' commented Mr Egan. 'It is a real privilege to see him introducing new work at our event.'

The artist's work can be savoured at several locations in County Kildare among them Athy's Famine Monument, and Monasterevin's Hopkins Monument. The guests at the Hopkins Festival were treated to a display of McKenna's drawings and sculptures along with the giant horse and rider. He has dabbled in other media being the author of the famous stage play The Scatterin' which tackled the theme of emigration before it was popular to do so.

McKenna's work is in public and private collections in Germany, Britain, Sweden, Italy and the USA. Throughout the past week his pictures and stone figures have added another layer of vitality to the convocation of poets at Monasterevin.

See why HOPKINS 2000 was the best festival yet

James McKenna, Sculptor, died in October, 2000

Oisin Caught in a Time Warp is now on display in Arus Chill Dara, County Kildare HQ in Naas.