éist / èist is an exhibition, consisting mainly of photographs,that reflects on the long history of migration between Ireland and Scotland,with a particular focus on the traumatic period in the middle of the nineteenth century.

“Trauma is inherited as silence, a silence it may take generations to learn to hear”
– Rebecca Solnit, The Book of Migrations

éist: Listen (Irish)

èist: Listen (Scots Gaelic)

Phyto: plant

Phthora: decay, ruin, perish

Infestans: attack, destroy

Indifference: lack of interest, concern or sympathy

Frank McElhinney is an artist who works with history to address contemporary issues such as conflict, migration and nationhood. He has a particular interest in the intertwined histories of Scotland and Ireland.Frank studied Fine Art Photography at the Glasgow School of Art and Medieval and Modern History at Glasgow University. His great grand parents were born in Donegal during the famine years and migrated to Glasgow in the 1870s.