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'Jaunting Through the Gap' (No. 23) shows the craggy strength of the mountain bulk silhouetted against a timeless sky, a dark lake lifted by a tint of sunshine with a horse-drawn trap inviting exploration. An appropriate title picture for this exhibition of Killarney landscape paintings by Michael McCarthy at 70. In 'In Paradisia, Upper Lake' (No. 2) the focus is on water transformed into a sheet of golden silver by the light of the setting sun. Is McCarthy hinting that the two walkers and a boat - visible against the lake water - are an appropriate level of the mark of man? Lush woodland, the third hallmark of the Killarney landscape, is a prominent feature of 'A Tight Line, River Laune' (No. 3) along the banks of the river that carries the waters from the lakes to the sea. The mountains indicate the terrain and the fiserhmen a sport of long standing. The huge mountain panorama in 'Above Ladies View' (No. 13) reminds that next year will be the 150th anniversary of when Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting decided this was 'the finest view in the land'. While Michael McCarthy's 'Boats at Rest, Upper Lake' (No. 15) shows man's mark ... this scene of lake and mountain touched by cloud and sun suggests a place where 'angels fold their wings and rest'. The peaceful picture of the substantial remains of the 15th century Muckross Abbey 'Autumn Skies over Muckross Abbey' (No. 20) set in trees under a huge sky suggest quiet prayer rather than the burning and martyrdom that were also part of the story of the abbey. 'Red Deer, Eagle’s Nest' (No. 26) record the kings of the animal world that are such a part of this landscape. 'Horses above Lough Leane' (No. 28) ... the sport of Kings represented in this equine family ... a great panorama of lake and mountain centres on the rich story of prayer and learning in Innisfallen. The powerful sky in 'Killarney Sunset, Lower Lake' (No. 18) show that at the end of the day man, animal, tree and landscape disappear under the daily vagaries of the sun and other climatic conditions. But what a way to disappear? Michael McCarthy is a master landscapist in a tradition going back centuries. He uniquely captures that fleeting moment that lifts the heart. Our wish on his 70th birthday, and his fifth solo exhibition here, is 'Go mara tú céad'/'May you live to be a hundred' and continue to reflect the beauty of place and nature. - Frank Lewis