Robert Ballagh: ‘My cancer is back after thirteen years’

The artist on starting chemotherapy again, ageism, his frustration in finding a venue for his latest 80th birthday exhibition, and why he still sees Ireland as a failed state

Robert Ballagh sold his bass guitar to a young Phil Lynott after leaving his band, the Chessmen. Photo: Steve Humphreys

In the catalog for his latest solo exhibition, Robert Ballagh is described as “a public artist”. It is the perfect summary of a man whose work has been central to Irish life for decades and who has achieved the rare feat of being both a living artist and a household name.

Visual arts are sometimes criticized for being elitist. This exclusivity, Ballagh says as we meet for a coffee in Dublin city, is inherent in the design. “Since the founding of the state, the forces that have tried to promote and control the visual arts have followed an absolutely elitist line,” he says. Yet Ballagh’s work is seen by the masses.

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