BOOKS
The Salmon of Knowledge – An Exhibition by Celina Buckley
County Library, Tallaght, Dublin,
13th – 18th October 2025
About the Exhibition:
Presented as part of the Red Line Book Festival, this exhibition gathers twelve original illustrations from The Salmon of Knowledge, accompanied by sketchbooks, storyboards, and dummy books that trace the hidden life of a picturebook: the fragile beginnings in pencil lines, the experiments, the wrong turns, and the moments when image and idea suddenly click into place.
Here, visitors can follow the movement from sketch to finished spread, from private notebook to published page. It is both a journey through one of Ireland’s best-loved myths and an invitation to glimpse the invisible labour of illustration: the balancing of text and image, silence and speech, myth and modernity.
About the Artist
Celina Buckley’s work moves in the space where words and images meet, each carrying equal weight in the telling of a story. Born and based in Co. Cork, she trained in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, joining a lineage of contemporary illustrators who treat the picture book as both art object and intimate narrative.
Her first book, The Salmon of Knowledge (Starfish Bay, 2019), is a retelling of the Irish myth of Fionn MacCumhaill. It is a book of few words, where images stretch across the page, guiding the rhythm of the tale with humour, wonder, and a quiet respect for the landscape of folklore. “An enchanting and fun picturebook,” wrote Children’s Books Ireland, “where the illustrations contribute equally to the story.”
Buckley’s wider practice extends beyond the picturebook page, into collage, drawing and painting.. Her images often emerge as layered worlds, playful yet precise, anchored in her deep curiosity about how stories are shaped and shared. Her work has appeared in galleries across Ireland and the UK, and in 2023 she was named a finalist on Sky Landscape Artist of the Year. Alongside her studio practice, she teaches and runs workshops for children and adults, in schools, libraries, and festivals throughout Ireland and Europe — making drawing and storytelling not only visible, but accessible.
‘The Salmon of Knowledge’
An Irish Folktale Retold and Illustrated by
CELINA BUCKLEY
***Available in all good bookshops.***
Review by Children’s Books Ireland:
“This retelling captures the essence of the Irish myth of Fionn MacCumhaill in a gorgeous modern edition by Irish writer and illustrator, Celina Buckley. A primary teacher, Buckley graduated from Cambridge School of Art with a Masters in Children’s Book Illustration, joining such graduates as Jenni Desmond and Steve Antony. This is her first picturebook, and it will be of great appeal to younger readers, either those enjoying story time with parents, or those reading on their own. Text is kept to a minimum, with the wonderful full page illustrations contributing equally to the story.
The book ripples with humour – there are numerous examples, but in particular, a map of Ireland has Finnegas standing on the west coast, fishing rod in hand, desperate to catch the salmon of knowledge, while around the map he is seen in boats and gazing into the water. His surprise and joy when he eventually discovers and catches the salmon is conveyed on two pages, Finnegas standing on rocks in a corner while the reader’s eye is drawn under the water to focus on the salmon.
The instructions on HOW TO BECOME A WARRIOR (capitalised so the reader is aware of their importance!) are brilliant. Buckley uses a tree with several branches to convey the instructions, such as ‘Jump over a branch as tall as yourself,’ and ‘Learn twelve books of poetry off by heart.’
An enchanting and fun picturebook which will appeal to younger readers.”
