Orla Daly
she/her
Portraits of Dublin
I paint everyday scenes based on photographs I have taken of people and places I have encountered while wandering through the city. My work invites viewers to navigate Dublin’s intricate and often challenging urban landscape through a series of oil paintings on canvas. The imagery relates to the urban environment, connecting everyday moments to contemporary social conditions.
The everyday is the central theme of my work, with a focus on the tension between togetherness and isolation within the urban environment. My paintings not only capture moments in time, but also integrate the banal, the enigmatic, and the melancholic experiences of metropolitan consciousness.
Amiens Street 8:56, oil on canvas, 80 x 60 cm.
O’Connell Street 9:09, oil on canvas, 50 x 70 cm.
Installation view, Portraits of Dublin, NCAD Works 2026.
O’Connell Street 16:17, oil on canvas, 50 x 70 cm
Installation view, Portraits of Dublin, NCAD Works 2026.
Amiens Street 18:30, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm.
Mabbot Lane II, oil on canvas, 45 x 35 cm.
Dublin 8, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm.
Street Near Frank Ryans, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm.
Installation view, Portraits of Dublin, NCAD Works 2026.
Research
