Curated by Vivienne Byrne.

Eilish McCann, an artist based in County Cavan, works in oil and acrylic on canvas and paper. Her paintings move between attentive observation of everyday life and imaginative reinterpretations of classical painting. Don’t Throw Bouquets takes its title from a Sinatra song, a rendition from the musical Oklahoma!, sung by her father about the house—a tune that resonates through this body of work, reflecting the transitional states of grief and aging.

The artist has returned to her border hometown in Cavan after many years away and has received the Professional Artist Award 2025 from Cavan Arts, Cavan County Council. In new and selected older paintings, McCann brings past and present selves into conversation. The works reveal both the tender and sharp disorientation of loss and the complex emotions that surface on return to the place that shaped us.

Droichead's First Solo Award offers support and funding at a key point in the careers of professional artists in the North East Region who have yet to present a solo show.