She's Got My Back

*Margaret Egan - Footfalls Echo in the Memory*

5 minute read time

Every woman needs a role model and Nikki Walsh found one. Here she talks with friend and artist Margaret Egan about the enormous influence she has had on her creative life.

Nikki: A friend put me in touch with Margaret. I was looking for interesting interiors to write about and she suggested I visit Margaret’s home, which was in the basement of a Georgian house in Dublin. I was in my early thirties back then and trying to write my first book. Over tea, we made an instant connection. Margaret and I look at life in the same way; we are both unimpressed by money and status and value deeply the integrity of children. Glancing around her apartment, where many of her own paintings hang, I understood that this was the home of a woman living alone, undefined by a man and making her own living from her art and that was deeply interesting to me.

Margaret: I met Nikki Walsh many years ago and immediately we bonded, she is an amazing young woman, full of creativity in so many ways from the way she writes and views life to the way she lives it. I think being a good writer not only requires creativity but also discipline and Nikki has that.

Nikki: I don’t think Margaret realises how much she helped me in my early struggles as a writer. It was more the power of her example than anything else. I could not fail to notice how productive she was, painting in the mornings and the afternoons, in-between walks, coffees with friends, family dinners, and the babysitting of her grandchildren. I asked her once how she did it and she introduced me to transcendental meditation which I learnt under the late Judy Kelly. All through my early journey as a writer, she has offered me loving support and honest feedback.

Margaret: From a very young age I always knew I wanted to be an artist but when it came to the time, my mother insisted I become a draftswoman first and have a “proper job.” I did the study but did not accept the “proper job” from the civil service, instead, I went on to study art under the famous Breton sculptor, Yann Renard Goulet RHA, at the National College of Art in Dublin. It was with Yann that I learnt so very much. He gave us a classical training, but also gave us an appreciation of how colour, light and shadow could create a mood. My first major show was in the Peacock in 1992 which then went on a tour of Ireland in different venues, all organised by Kathleen Barrington from the Abbey Theatre. Kathleen gave me great encouragement so I would say she was for me, someone special when I was starting out and is still someone special to this day. Encouragement from another woman at pivotal times can make an astonishing difference.

And yet the funny thing is I never set out to mentor Nikki; we just got on.

Nikki: And then I became a mother and listened with new interest and respect to Margaret’s stories about motherhood. How busy she must have been back then, raising four children, teaching art at night, decorating and painting entire rooms of her house herself.

She spoke about it all with such fondness; children were never seen as an obstacle to female fulfilment if anything they were the ultimate expression of creativity. That outlook has been very helpful to me as I try to strike the impossible balance between motherhood, making a living and writing. I love Margaret’s lack of preciousness around children too – a few years ago she recounted with great humour the fun her grandchildren used to have jumping from one sofa to another in her apartment, using her ottoman as a launchpad. One day I arrived at her apartment with my son, who had had a nappy malfunction. She had him stripped and the pooey clothes rinsed and in a plastic bag in a matter of seconds. There was no drama. No Marigolds either.

Margaret: You know I think the MOST important job in the world is raising children well, giving them freedom to think for themselves while at the same time guiding them, showing them love and wisdom. Giving them a safe and secure environment to grow up in. If every child got this the world would be a far better place. It’s not rocket science is it? It’s never ceased to amaze me that even in this day and age there is no respect or value put on parenting. I think we value the wrong things so often and don't focus on the good of the whole, how to respect each other and put value on the goodness of people not on the amount of money they have or the power they have.

Nikki: I couldn’t agree more and I love how vocal Margaret is on this subject. I enjoy her most when she recounts incidents of her outspokenness, which on occasion get her into trouble. She has no problem arguing with anyone, man or woman, no matter what role they hold in life. When Margaret suggested I teach creative writing, I remember saying to her I can’t teach others, I’m not a published author, and Margaret replied: You are what you think you are. She has never let what others think get in the way. It’s so inspiring. For all her elegance and refinement, she is a rebel.

Margaret: In many parts of the world, women have come a long way. Going back not too far, women were not allowed to work outside the home after marriage and yet given no credit for working in the home and raising their children. They had no vote, no say in anything in fact. But if you look around today and see all the women that now have power positions in politics and in so many areas of life it’s just amazing. My feeling about life is that one is constantly learning and that there are always surprises. I do often say to myself: All I know is that I know nothing because life and situations are always changing.

Margaret is represented by the Solomon Gallery

Nikki Walsh, Feburary 2021

If you are struggling to find your purpose, creative or otherwise, or would simply like to tune into your intuition and tune out of all the noise, please join Nikki on Tuesday, February 9th at 8pm for a 90-minute writing workshop on Zoom. She’ll be using simple writing exercises to help you deepen your connection with yourself. You don’t need to be a writer, all you need is a wish to connect with yourself and others in tough times. Tickets €20, from Eventbrite: can be bought HERE.