Patricia Hurl

Patricia Hurl is an Irish artist.

Background

Hurl was born circa 1940. Hurl's father, born in 1894, was a Catholic from a farming background who grew up along the Derry-Antrim border. He worked as a primary school teacher and was politically active, becoming involved in the Ulster Troubles. Hurls parents moved to Charleston Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin, where they bought their first house. They lived frugally and the family prioritised education.

Career

Hurl's first solo exhibition, Living Room Myths and Legends, was shown at the Temple Bar Gallery and Studios in 1988. It included works based on the Kerry babies case.

Before becoming an artist, Hurl got a job with Williams and Woods, a Dublin confectionery factory. She worked as a Comptometer operator. From 1984 to 1989, Hurl was a lecturer in fine art at Dublin Institute of Technology College of Art and Design.

Hurl established and runs the Damer House Gallery in Roscrea, County Tipperary. Hurl is a founder member of Na Cailleacha (Irish for witches or hags), a group of older female Irish artists.

Awards

Hurl was named one of Irish Tatler's Women of the Year 2023.

Personal life

Hurl married at the age of 20. Her husband worked as a cooper at the Guinness brewery.