Catherine’s books for kids capture wonder of nature
Arts Week with Judy Murphy
Not many people can tell the difference between a male and female daddy longlegs – in fairness, most of us would be too squeamish to carry out such a forensic examination. But Catherine Dunne is able to, and so are her teenage children. That’s thanks to her late father, Richard, who worked as an entomologist (insect scientist) with Teagasc in Kinsealy, Co Dublin, and who was a huge influence on her life and work.
Catherine, a graphic designer, photographer and children’s author who lives just outside Kinvara, has paid homage to her father in her book The Fabulous Frog and the Bumblebee (and me).
Featuring her own illustrations, it’s geared at children aged three to seven and will be launched in Kinvara Courthouse on Thursday next, August 10, alongside her other book, the Elephant Tree.
That occasion will also mark the opening of a joint exhibition entitled Drifting, which features Catherine’s paintings and photos alongside ceramics by Blaithín Ní Leannáin. Drifting is being presented by the Kinvara Area Visual Arts group, KAVA, of which both women are members.
Dublin-born Catherine moved to Galway five years ago, fulfilling a lifetime’s dream. When she was a child, the family were driving through Clare during their summer holidays and she fell in love with the scenery. She asked her father the location, telling him she wanted to live there some day. The place was Lahinch, although when Catherine did come West, she settled further up the coast in Kinvara.
That’s partly because she used to holiday in nearby Fanore with her children when they were younger, she explains. In addition, she wanted to live near a city and have easy access to Dublin. Kinvara ticked all the boxes and she loves it.
Catherine, who worked with the European Commission from 1988 until 1995, and then with an American multi-national in Limerick, subsequently trained in graphic design and had a successful business until the recession hit.
“Then, the phone just stopped ringing,” she says.
But, in a strange way, the economic downturn offered her a new opportunity, as she began designing quality greeting cards.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.