Olive Murray, painter and poet, was born in
Co. Westmeath, Ireland in 1951. She is the fourth of a
family of eight. Her love of poetry came from her
fathers side Dan Leavy, a head master, and the
love of painting from her mother Joan.
Olive studied art and wood sculpture in the early
seventies. Her first solo exhibition took place in the
Brown Thomas Gallery Dublin 1982, and
subsequent solo exhibitions abroad in the
Chadwick Gallery London and the Olin Galleria
Brussels.
Her work has also been selected for numerous
group exhibitions including the RHA, an
tOireachtas, the Metropolitan Art Museum Tokyo,
The Vorpal Gallery New York, The RHA Banquet
Academy exhibition, the Grand View Fine Arts,
Brisbane and Queens University Belfast. Olive has
received awards for both her painting and poetry.
Olive’s first book of poetry ‘A brief relief of grief’
was written and published in 2003 for Our Lady’s
Hospice Harold’s Cross, Dublin, after the death of
her husband Martin. She has two children Gordon
and Susan and three grandchildren.
Olive has happily remarried and currently lives
and works in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.