Mother makes quite a mark on Daniel’s life!

Date Published: 17-May-2012

By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

Not too many Irish sons go to the length which a certain city man did when he tattooed his mother’s face on his belly.

But 21 years old Daniel Cloherty truly loves his mother and he has the tattoo to prove it.

This week, Daniel was able to show his tattoo to the man who photographed his mother Derval Leahy 22 years ago.

Daniel was attending an exhibition of silk paintings at the Ballybane Resource Centre this week. His mother, who is in the silk painting class, had some of her work in the exhibition.

Also at the exhibition was Stan Shields, retired Connacht Tribune photographer, who had taken Derval’s photograph for this newspaper 22 years ago and which was the inspiration for Daniel’s tattoo.

“I was at an art exhibition opening at Kennys Art Gallery and I remember Stan taking my picture. When it was published in the Tribune we all loved it, my parents especially, and they had it framed.

“Daniel loved that picture too and last year he had it tattooed on his torso. It is one of his many tattoos so I wasn’t horrified but I was surprised that he got it done so big.

“I think it’s an exceptional copy of Stan’s photograph and when Daniel showed him the tattoo this week at the silk painting exhibition, he said he had seen a lot of things but that was the first time he had come across a tattoo of one of his photographs,” said Derval.

Read more in today’s Galway City Tribune