100 years of Brother Joseph McNally

The late Brother Joseph McNally (10 August 1923 – 27 August 2002), founder of LASALLE College of the Arts, was one of Singapore’s champions of the creative arts and arts education. Irish by birth, Singaporean by choice, Brother Joseph left his adopted country a body of achievements that continue to inspire new generations of artists and educators of the arts.

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Find out more about Brother Joseph McNally here.

“As we celebrate Brother Joseph McNally’s life and work, let’s support the arts and our artists, all those who challenge our perspectives, and all who choose to take alternative paths to contributing to our nation.”

— Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the launch the Brother Joseph McNally centenary celebrations.

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LASALLE was greatly honoured to have Guest of Honour, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, launch the Brother Joseph McNally centenary celebrations on Friday 11 August. In an inspiring speech, President Tharman spoke about the importance of the arts and Brother McNally's legacy as a visionary arts educator.

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To mark the launch of the centenary celebrations, we opened the exhibition Brother Joseph McNally: A Comparative History of One Life, curated by Senior Fellow Milenko Prvački. The exhibition was the first of its kind to undertake a visual chronicle of Brother Joe's developmental journey—from a young Irishman arriving in Southeast Asia as an educator in the 1940s, to the founding of LASALLE College of the Arts in the 1980s upon his retirement.

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Master storyteller Kamini Ramachandran's guided tours of the exhibition, A Storyteller's Tale, gave visitors a rare inside glimpse into Brother McNally's life. The exhibition concluded with McNally Memories, a finissage where LASALLE's community of staff, students and alumni paid tribute to Brother. Many shared personal stories and memories of Brother McNally and how he touched their lives.

Ballintubber is a small, tranquil village in Ireland, home to historic Ballintubber Abbey. It is also the birthplace of Brother Joseph McNally, who grew up in this small farming community and left his hometown at just 14 years of age to join the De La Salle Brothers.

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In conjunction with Brother McNally's centenary celebrations, Edmund Chia and Vicente Delgado (Tito), lecturers from LASALLE’s Faculty of Design, headed to Ireland in May 2023. During their trip, Edmund and Tito held a Drawing Lab workshop for students at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and spent several days in Ballintubber. Through their visit, they hoped to trace Brother McNally's history and journey to Singapore, and create artworks in response.

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What Edmund and Tito found was an enchanting town where the presence of Brother McNally was still deeply felt. Many of Brother's sculptures remain around the village, and the McNally family still lives in Ballintubber to this day.

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“People were very friendly, and many of the residents know of Brother Joe’s work in Singapore. When they found out about our visit, many would come up to us and start conversations about Brother Joe.”_‍

— Edmund Chia

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Read more about Edmund and Tito's visit to Ballintubber here.

2024 marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Ireland. To commemorate this milestone and affirm our strong Irish ties, LASALLE welcomed a visit from Hildegarde Naughton, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Health, Ireland.

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The Minister was accompanied by HE Sarah McGrath, Ambassador of Ireland to Singapore, and a delegation from the Embassy. During the visit, the group viewed Brother Joseph McNally's artworks and artifacts at the Octagon Room in The Ngee Ann Kongsi Library, learned about LASALLE's history and Brother McNally's legacy, and discussed opportunities for collaboration.

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In conjunction with the Minister's visit, it was announced that LASALLE will be creating an artwork for the Embassy's new office at Cross Street. The project will be led by Senior Fellow Milenko Prvacki and unveiled later this year.

Screenings of Brother Joe

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Screenings of Brother Joe, a documentary commissioned by LASALLE with support from The Ireland Funds Singapore, gave audiences a haunting, elegiac look into the life of a man of the cloth who dared to dream beyond borders. LASALLE was honoured to host Helen O'Toole, Brother McNally's niece and former LASALLE lecturer, at a special panel discussion with director James Khoo and Senior Fellow Milenko Prvacki on 26 October 2023.

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Blossoms for Brother Joe

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Blossoms for Brother Joe, a floral art installation made from upcycled plastic bottles, was displayed on LASALLE's iconic Sky Bridge during Singapore Art Week in January 2024. The blossoms were created by members of the public and the LASALLE community, symbolising the vibrant diversity of the ecosystem of arts and creative practitioners who have graduated from LASALLE since its founding in 1984.

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Red Dot, Green Dot

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Red Dot, Green Dot, an evening of spoken word, music, literature and laughter, showcased performances from LASALLE students, alumni and members of the Irish community in celebration of the cultures of Singapore and Ireland. To commemorate Brother McNally's centenary, 2024's Red Dot, Green Dot featured a performance from a monologue written by renowned Singaporean playwright and MA Creative Writing student Jean Tay, celebrating the life of LASALLE's founder.

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View the full events archive here.