The poetic guidance of Mary Lunny immortalized in embroidery. Mary Lunny is a fluent Irish speaker who, in everyday conversations, speaks an old Irish dialect directly translated into English. The results are stunningly beautiful and cutting words of wisdom.
At 82 Mary is impressively vigorous, brilliant, and witty. I’ve been visiting her for the last 5 years, practicing Irish and sharing stories. We sit in her living room overlooking the ocean, drinking tea while Mary knits. To pass the time I taught myself embroidery and began to immortalize her words.
Mary refers to this as my ‘Inelegant Jane Austin Project’ due to the ironic juxtaposition of the traditional nature of the craft, the phrases themselves, and my evening whiskey. These phrases were embroidered while practicing Irish with Mary, or while speaking Irish with friends at a nearby pub.
Fiber artist and curator – 2019-2020
“We had bigger dreams than men”
A bold statement and a challenge to dream beyond what society deems your limitations.
Mary was born in Fintown, Ireland in 1938. At that time in Catholic rural Ireland, it was unheard of for women to be anything other than wives and mothers, but Mary is one of a kind. As she says of herself and her closest friend, “we had bigger dreams than men”. Mary has lived a long, adventurous, and hard life. Her stories are wild, even by today’s standards. She is beloved by many, and upon meeting her it is often said, “she is some woman for one woman”. She inspires women to dream bigger than what we are told is possible.
“She was just being a cunt, God love her”
A beautiful combination of honesty and firm boundaries. A clear assessment of a transgression, while simultaneously being compassionate toward the transgressor.
Mary is concise, eloquent, and crass all at the same time. To be fair to her, this quote is extremely rare. In all my time with her, I never heard it. A friend was witness to it, and apparently the situation warranted it deeply. As far as Mary is concerned, this one is to be used in extreme circumstances only.
“He never lifted anything heavier than his dick”
An astute and clever way to describe a man who is not living up to his responsibilities.
She would never ever call herself one, but she is a poet who loves wordplay. She is subtle as a knife. She’s sly and witty. She’s as kind as she is cutting.
This hoop was my first ever attempt at embroidery. I’m self-taught from youtube tutorials watched on my phone while sitting with Mary. The progression of my learning is clear.
“It’s a beautiful day for a bad mood”
A recognition that each day is a gift and that it can easily be wasted if we choose to view it differently.
Said with a wink and a smile, Mary uses gentle irony to pull you out of a bad mood.
“Isn’t it better to tell the truth?”
Not an enforcement, but rather a curious invitation to honesty. A gentle question to bring you back to your better self.
Mary says this with genuine curiosity, and absolutely no malice or judgment.
Additional quotes will be added during my 2020 visit.