In Plain Sight – A Commission for King’s Inns and The Bar of Ireland
Maura McNally S.C. , Emma Stroude and Hugh Mohan S.C. pictured with the In Plain Sight Commission
In 2022 Stroude became the recipient of the inaugural In Plain Sight Commission at King’s Inns and The Bar of Ireland. The initiative was developed to celebrate the achievements and enhance the visibility of women in the field of law that have demonstrated significant leadership, influence and contribution to legal practice and education.
The first commission is a double portrait to celebrate the lives and achievements of Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell, the first two women to be called to The Bar in Ireland and the UK in 1921.
Having collaborated with historian and curator Sinéad McCoole on the Easter Widows Series, for Stroude this was an opportunity to work again towards highlighting the achievements of women from Irish history, “Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell blazed a trail for women against the backdrop of the struggle for women’s rights and during a volatile period of Irish history. I hope that making this portrait will bring a new focus to their lives and legacy and will encourage the women of today interested in pursuing a career in law.”
An interview with Emma Stroude in which she talks about the process of the commission and her experience of making the double portrait of Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell.
Susan Ahern BL and Aoife Farrelly BL talk about the commission.
Mary Griffin, CEO & Under Treasurer King’s Inns, His Honour Judge Dara Hayes, Judge of the Circuit Court and Renate Ni Uigin, Librarian Kings’s Inns, discuss the purpose of the portrait.
Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell, the first women called to The Bar in Ireland, 1921
Oil on canvas, 150cm x 100cm, 2022 (Collection – King’s Inns and The Bar of Ireland)
