Painting of Hanna Sheehy Skeffington by Dr Daniel Crean Unveiled in UCD

A new portrait honouring Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, one of Ireland’s fiercest advocates for women’s rights and equality, was recently unveiled and has been given pride of place in the UCD building that bears her name; the Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington building is fittingly home to the UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice.  

The portrait was painted by our own Dr Danny Crean, and it forms part of his collection honouring those who have fought for civil and political rights across the globe. ‘I paint as a hobby and over the last ten to eleven years I’ve painted a collection of people that I would admire.  Hanna Sheehy Skeffington would be among them, alongside Rosa Parks and Víctor Jara, and I’m delighted to have found a home for her portrait.’ Danny’s painting of Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez, a Chilean teacher and political activist tortured and murdered during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, currently hangs in the lobby of the Chilean embassy in Dublin.

The artistic tribute to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington comes as Ireland marks the centenary of Irish women winning the right to vote and the painting has been well received by those working in the building: ‘We’re very proud here in the Hanna Sheehy Skeffington building to have it named after Hanna, and it is great to come to work each day now and see her up on the wall and be able to say hello,’ said Dr Mary McAuliffe, from the UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice. 

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