Sadhbh, written by Darach Ó Scolaí and published in Irish by Leabhar Breac, our first collaboration, has been Longlisted for the World Illustration Awards 2026.
The book is a retelling for adult readers of the old Irish tale Ceasacht Iníon Ghuile, centred on Sadhbh, a resourceful young woman who repeatedly outwits everyone around her — including Féilimí mac Criomhthainn, the historical King of Munster who died in 847. Refusing to be reduced to a simple folkloric figure, her agency is what drives the narrative. The story advances through humour and strangeness with the freedom and unpredictability of oral storytelling.
Darach Ó Scolaí based his playful, comic and even subversive version on a 16th-century telling of the story, preserving much of its poetic and earthy character.
Illustrating the book meant working between different worlds: medieval literature, oral storytelling, history, satire and dream imagery. The aim was not historical reconstruction alone, but creating a visual atmosphere that could carry the strange mixture of humour, danger and dignity that survives in the old tale.
The work on the illustrations began very directly, with graphite on paper: rubbing, scratching, building and erasing textures by hand. It felt like the right starting point for a story so connected to landscape, memory and the organic texture of old Irish narrative traditions.
From there, the images gradually accumulated layers: paint, coloured pencils, inks and finally long stages of digital composition. The process became quite complex, but always with the same intention: to make the process itself disappear as much as possible, leaving only the atmosphere and emotional force of the story.
In my opinion, what remains most memorable about Sadhbh is that feeling of every part of it — language, material, image and rhythm — pulling in the same direction. A feeling we intent to keep going in our next collaborations.
If you are interested in getting a copy of Sadhbh, you can order it in your local bookshop or order online at Leabhar Breac’s website.