George Callaghan

 George Callaghan was born in County Antrim, N.Ireland in 1941, attending Carr's Glen Primary School up the Old Park Road.  At the age of four his family emigrated to South Africa where he was educated in the ways of apartheid.  He also became the "Western Province Boxing Champion" (Gnat weight division).  At the age of 14 the impending death of his Grandfather forced the family to return to Belfast, throwing him in the deep end of sectarianism.
 George attended Ashfield Secondary Imtermediate (technical section) where he attained 9 distinctions in his junior certificate. Desmond Kinney, his Art Teacher managed to get George 13 periods of Art a week. He left school at 15 to work at Nicholson and Bass (printers and box makers, Alfred Street) as an apprentice Commercial Artist under Robin Holmes.  A year later he commenced studying Art at the Belfast College of Art on a Scholarship and studied painting with John Luke, Romeo Toogood and Tom Carr (returning to Nicholson and Bass to work during the summer vacations).
 George started work in Dublin as a juior designer with Janus Advertising Agency and 8 months later moved to Kennys Advertising Agency as a senior designer.  He then moved to London as a designer, 8 months later he emigrated to Sydney, Australia.  For a year he worked as a senior designer at McCann Erickson then moved to Leo Burnetts where he stayed for the next 11 years as an Art Director. 
 Advertising burnt him out at the age of 32, he then moved to the Australian Island State of Tasmania where he has lived for the last 27 years.  In this time he has been recognised as one of the States leading Artists.  He also enjoys the reputation of being Australia's leading Harp maker and a leading exponent of the Celtic Harp, he produced the states first Stirling silver Jewellery Exhibition. The recordings of his harp music include -  'Traditional Airs', 'Rhyme and Reason', 'Another Fall of Rain', 'Garden of Tranquility', 'Georgeian' and 'Cold Dark Night'. In the 70's he was part of a vocal group that recorded for Festival Records. George has also made four annimated short movies for television.
 From Australia George moved to England in the Lake District for five years, which gave him the oppourtunity to pursue his interest in Field Archery.  George is now living in France.  He returns regulary to Ireland to sketch and renew friendships and to keep in touch with Galleries that show his work.  His work can currently be seen at The Eakin Gallery, Belfast, Kenny's in Galway, Contemporary Fine Art Gallery, London, Red Rag Gallery, Cotswolds and High Street Gallery, Kirkcudbright, Dockside Gallery, Devenport, Tasmania and Bowerbank Mill, Deloraine, Australia.

George's last six exhibitions have all been sell outs.

Exhibitons
1962  Cema Art Gallery                  Belfast   1991  Srickland Gallery  Tasmania 
1963 Grafton Gallery        Dublin   1991 Crohill Gallery  Canberra
1963 I.C.A. Gallery     Dublin   1992 Salamanca Collection Tasmania
1964 Highgate Gallery     London  1994 Kenny's Gallery  Galway
1965 Highland Gallery     London               1995 Bower Bank Mill  Tasmania
1966 Aladdin Gallery     Sydney  1995 Saddlers Court  Tasmania
1968 Blaxland Galleries    Sydney  1996 Liberator Gallery  Adelaide
1969 Contempory Art Society    Sydney  1996 Cavehill Gallery  Belfast
1970 Saddlers Court     Tasmania  1996 Cork Art Society  Cork
1970 Saddlers Court               Tasmania  1996  Kenny's Gallery  Galway
1971 Saddlers Court      Tasmania  1996 Salamanca Collection Tasmania
1972 Charlie Miller Gallery    Tasmania  1996 Palm Beach Gallery Sydney
1972 Saddlers Court     Tasmania  1997 Red Chapel Gallery Hobart
1973 Hamilton Gallery      Tasmania  2001 Eakin Gallery  Belfast
1974  Saddlers Court     Tasmania  2003      Eakin Gallery   Belfast
1975 Saddlers Court     Tasmania  2004 Kenny's Gallery  Galway
1977 Saddlers Court     Tasmania  2005 Eakin Gallery  Belfast 
1978 Saddlers Court     Tasmania  2007 Kenny's Gallery  Galway
1979 Hamilton Gallery     Tasmania  2007 Bowerbank Mill, Deloraine,Australia
1986 Bower Bank Mill     Tasmania  2008 Eakin Gallery  Belfast
1989 Swan Gallery, Cygnet    Tasmania
1990 Srickland Gallery                  Tasmania

The Eakin Gallery, 237 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7EN, Tel: 028 9066 8522

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