Irish Thatched Cottage Art Work By Carmel

March 13, 2022 by Irish American Mom 98 Comments

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

Thatched cottages are found all over Ireland. These old rural homes inspire Irish American artist Carmel, who shares her art work with the world on Etsy.

Today I’m delighted to host a giveaway for two beautiful pieces of art by Carmel, featuring the Irish thatched cottage.

Thatched cottages in a painting with text banner — Thatched Cottage Paintings by Carmel Bourneuf

Before I share details of how to enter for a chance to win, let’s first meet Carmel and explore why she too loves the thatched cottage as a symbol of Ireland.

About Carmel

Carmel was born in Ireland and lived in the small village of Clonaslee in County Laois, which is located in the midlands of Ireland. Laois is known as the “Land of the Cow,” since the fields are green, rich and fertile.

Clonaslee is located near the Slieve Bloom mountains and it’s name comes from the Irish, Cluain na Slí (pronounced clue-in nah slee) means the roadside meadow, or the meadow of the way. It is here that Carmel’s love of nature, art and music was born.

Artist painting a thached cottage — Carmel at work in her studio

Carmel lost her father at a very young age and her family moved to England where her mother found work to support their family..

Carmel emigrated to the USA in 1961 where she met her husband. They lived all over the United States and even spent time living in Paris, London and Singapore. They traveled the world together.

No matter where Carmel called home, she always painted and would join local art groups. Throughout her nomadic life she continued to study art and exhibited her work all over the world.

Her medium of choice is oil paint, and she loves to use the palette knife. Her style reflects her love of vivid colors, scenery and landscapes. She is most inspired by the landscapes of Ireland, the place of her birth.

Thatched cottage with stone wall plus text banner — Thatched Cottage Painting

Thatched cottages fill her soul with dreams of Ireland. She captures this important piece of Irish history in her beautiful paintings of Irish thatched cottages, with their white washed walls and yellow thatched roofs.

The Ireland of her childhood inspires Carmel to paint. She captures the mood, light and mysticism of rural Ireland in her lovely paintings.

She has been inspired by some of Ireland's greatest artists. If you're interested in Irish art, here is my quick guide to Irish art.

Enjoying An Irish Joke

Carmel loves to read Irish American Mom’s recipes and ramblings. She often shares jokes and pictures with me. Here’s a little laugh from Carmel. It gives you a flavor of her wonderfully Irish sense of humor.

Jesus looked across the table at God and asked :

"Where have you been these past two years?"

God replied "I've been in Ireland.”

With a shocked look Jesus said.. "So there has been a pandemic raging these past 2 years and you've been in Ireland. What have you been doing?"

God leaned over and whispered, " Working from home son, working from home."

Thatched cottages plus text banners — Irish Art by Carmel Bourneuf

Sharing Old Irish Traditions

I love when Carmel shares memories of Ireland. Her recollections of folk songs and traditions truly helps me expand my knowledge of the old ways in Ireland.

Recently we celebrated Pancake Tuesday and Carmel shared this old verse from Ireland that children would sing on Shrove Tuesday. Here’s how it goes…

“Pancake Tuesday a very happy day

If we don’t have a holiday we’ll all run away

Where shall we run? Down Cherry Lane

Here comes the teacher with a big fat cane.”

I believe it’s important to record our oral history, and Carmel’s help is greatly appreciated.

When I shared my post about the traditions and myths surrounding furze or gorse, the yellow flower that blooms all over the Irish countryside, Carmel shared another important piece of Irish folklore and history. Here’s what she told me…

“I had an uncle who made a hair rinse from the flower of the furze bush. I remember trying to pick the flowers but they had thorns. I used the rinse after washing my hair. It made my hair shine. Also I was told that it was an old way to make Henna to dye hair.”

I love all these little tidbits of social history from Ireland, and I’m blessed to have readers like Carmel who love to share their stories from an Irish childhood.

Artist at work on an easel — Carmel at work at her easel

Testimonials About Carmel's Work

Carmel has many satisfied customers who purchase her art pieces on her Etsy Store, You can visit her store through this link.

Here are some of the comments left by purchasers of her art….

“This is a gorgeous and unique piece from a very talented artist. It truly feels like you are looking at the countryside through a lace curtained window.”

“Absolutely stunning, unique work of art. Gorgeous colors and detail; I have already ordered additional pieces from this very talented artist.”

“I love this sweet little painting! The colors are so rich and the frame is incredibly high quality. Carmel shipped it carefully and sent me personal order updates. I really loved the Irish blessing attached to the back, along with the fact that it was ready to hang.”

“I love it. A great little painting that adds joy to my house. Framed well. Shipped very quickly. The seller is very friendly. Added some extras (postcard and poem) which made it extra nice.”

“I gave this painting to my sister for Christmas. She loves it. Just beautiful. Even prettier in person. Delivered very quickly. Carmel (seller) was awesome checking in on delivery etc.”

I hope you will love Carmel's paintings as much as I do.

Thatched cottage painting — Murphys Cottage by Carmel Bourneuf

The Prizes

Carmel has generously donated two beautiful pieces of art for two lucky readers to win.

These are beautiful thatched cottage images of Ireland.

The first is known as Murphy’s Cottage and it is an 8 inch x 10 inch matted art piece.

The second pieces is called Twin Cottages and is also an 8 inch x 10 inch matted art piece.

Two thatched cottages in a painting with matt — Twin Cottages Painting by Carmel Bourneuf

How To Enter Our Giveaway

Two lucky readers will each win one of the thatched cottage paintings chosen by Carmel to exhibit her work to the readers of Irish American Mom.

To enter simply leave a comment on this blog post by noon Eastern Time on Saturday, March 19th 2022.

Any comment will do. What you write does not affect your chance of winning, but if you need inspiration why not tell us if thatched cottages are meaningful for you.

If you live in Canada or Ireland, then please answer the following question in your comment by typing A, or B for the correct answer …

Thatched cottages are found in Ireland.

True - A
False - B

A winning comment will be chosen randomly. Remember to leave your email so that I can contact you should you win. Your email won’t be published, just used to contact our lucky contestant for mailing of the prize.

The winner will be announced on Saturday, March 19th, 2022, at the bottom of this blog post.

You may check out Irish American Mom’s complete terms and conditions for sweepstakes’ entries here.

Thatched cottage on a shamrock — Shamrock with Thatched Cottage by Carmel

Thank you to all who support this giveaway and share it with family and friends.

Wishing everyone the very best for Saint Patrick's Day. A big thank you to Carmel for sponsoring these lovely prizes this week, and for being such a loyal reader of Irish American Mom.

Update - Winners Chosen

Our winners have been randomly chosen using the Pick Giveaway Winner Plug-in for WordPress.

And the lucky readers are ….

Merceces DeAvila - Murphy's Cottage

Karen B. O'Brien - Twin Cottages

I’ll send an email to arrange mailing of the prizes. A big thank you to everyone for supporting this giveaway by leaving comments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every comment.

Thank you all for supporting our Irish American community.

Stay tuned for more stories and giveaways over the coming weeks and months.

Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Mairéad -Irish American Mom

Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th

Mairéad - rhymes with parade

Share my recipes and ramblings with the world

« Did You Know These Celebrities Are Irish Americans?

Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage »

Comments