Pangur Bán

Artist Imogen Stuart at the installation of Pangur Bán at Áras an Uachtaráin, December 2019

In 2019, work commenced to enable the positioning of an art installation at Áras an Uachtaráin.

The ‘Pangur Bán’ art work, by renowned Irish artist Imogen Stuart, was brought in sections from University College Dublin to the home of the President, where it was reassembled for its unveiling in January 2020.

The 1976 art installation is based on a 9th century poem, written in Irish in a manuscript found in the monastery of St. Paul in Austria. The poem has captured the imagination of many artists, and many authors have undertaken translations of the poem into English.

The installation by Imogen Stuart is the latest in a series of public art works brought to Áras an Uachtaráin by President and Sabina Higgins, including the sculpture commissioned for the centenary of the 1916 Rising, ‘Dearcán na nDaoine – The People’s Acorn’ by Rachel Joynt, and ‘The Plough and the Stars’, made by sculptor John Behan.