'The Hawk Against the Dove' photographic exhibition and book launch in Athy, Kildare

The Hawk Against the Dove, a deeply moving collaboration between Antoinette Foley and James Mahon, was officially launched on Saturday last, July 19, in Art House Athy, 42A Leinster Street, Kildare.

This powerful collaborative photography exhibition offers an unflinching portrait of addiction, resilience, and redemption in rural Ireland. 

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Once associated primarily with urban centres, drug addiction has increasingly taken root in small towns and rural communities. 

The Hawk Against the Dove traces this shift through the lived experience of Antoinette Foley, whose personal journey lays bare the often-invisible cost of substance abuse in towns like Athy.

Born into a Traveller family, Antoinette’s life spirals following teenage love, heartbreak, and the trauma of family separation. Her descent into addiction is chronicled with raw honesty, from the streets of Athy to the banks of the River Barrow.

Yet, at the heart of this story is not only pain, but a fragile, persistent hope – the memory of the girl she once was, and the future she still dares to imagine.

Blending documentary insight with poetic reflection, The Hawk Against the Dove is both a personal and political statement. It confronts the weight of judgment placed on women, Travellers, and addicts, while affirming the power of storytelling as a path to healing and change.

This timely and resonant work invites audiences to bear witness – not only to struggle, but to survival.

A public talk will take place on Thursday, July 31 at 6.30pm in Athy Library.

James and Antoinette will offer insight into the project's development, its central themes and the impact of socially engaged art on community awareness and wellbeing.

All are welcome. 

The exhibition continues at Art House Athy until Saturday, August 16.