Dublin-born Stanhope Forbes spent time painting Brittany before founding the influential Newlyn School of painters in Cornwall in the late 19th century.
His work has been exhibited widely in Europe, USA, and as far a field as Japan and Australia. Celtic Art designer Courtney Davis is widely acclaimed as the best-known contemporary Celtic-design artist in the world.
Scotland will be the place to be in 2009 as the nation stages a year long celebration, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's national bard. Over 300 events will be held between January 25th and St Andrew's Day on November 30th.
The influential Irish singer died on 16 August at age 73 after a lenghty fight with cancer. An all-star gathering of Irish musicians recorded 'The Ballad of Ronnie Drew' as a tribute to Ronnie Drew’s influence on Irish music and culture.