TÁIN, written by Karina Tynan and illustrated by Kathy Tynan is a book of retellings of the Táin myths from the perspectives of the female characters. It is pubished by Bard Mythologies.
Extract from Tynan's essay 'Reflections ; Retelling the Irish myths from the perspectives of the women'
For me Meadhbh goes beyond equality. She defies all identities given to her. She is equal to herself before being equal to anyone else. She has the power to awaken and name the great might of the feminine, dark and light and she is also more than that duality.
Another way to look at her could be as the land itself. In one of the stories about her she is violated, in another she uses her daughter to get what she wants. It would seem she is fighting for herself but maybe she is fighting for something greater? If so what is that? How do we look at these myths? These are merely my perspectives. There is room for everyone when it comes to myth because myth can hold us all.
Paperback
200 x 120 mm
Karina Tynan (b.1957) was born and now lives in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Most of her life was spent in Dublin where she raised her two children, Kathy and Luke and cultivated a career as a Psychotherapist. More recently she completed the intensive training at the Michael Chekhov International Academy in Berlin for creative artists, actors and performers to learn the Chekhov technique for creating character, atmosphere and gesture. She has also written plays mostly inspired by myth and modernity.Tynan cites that unearthing a love of myth and a desire to find their underlying contemporary meaning, came from her participation and association with the Bard Summer School which was a turning point in her life and in her creative career. Since then, inspired by the Irish myths and over 25 years of exploration, she has written back the women’s perspective. The Táin; from the Ulster Cycle is her first collection to be published.
Kathy Tynan (b.1984) makes paintings which typically depict details and particularities of urban, suburban and domestic scenes. Her direct and energetic approach to the painted surface favours liveliness over correctness of representation. While her paintings are figurative, the real subject matter of her work is the moment of encounter within the everyday when the ordinary or usually overlooked becomes illuminated. Recent exhibitions include fresh ruins, Kevin Kavanagh, (2021;) The Zurich Portrait Prize, National Gallery of Ireland (2020); Two Painters, Highlanes Gallery (2020); Green Like Now, Kevin Kavanagh (2019); Luminous Twitch, The Lab Gallery (2019) and Everything is in Everything, Sirius Arts Centre (2019). Tynan completed a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris and published her first book of paintings, Proud & Strong All Day Long in 2018. In 2019 she was the winner of the Dublin City Council Visual Arts Bursary and was shortlisted for The Hennessey-Craig prize for painting. In 2020 she carried out a residency in St. Patrick's Lodge, Dublin and received a special award from The Golden Fleece. Kathy Tynan is represented by Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin.