Born in Galway in 1977, Mary studied art in the Limerick School of Art and Design where she achieved a First Class Honours BA Degree in Fine Art Painting in 2001, and a First Class Honours Higher Diploma in Art and Design Teacher Education in 2003. In 1998, she completed an Erasmus student exchange with Athens School of Fine Art. She painted on numerous Greek islands and studied the traditional skill of icon painting.
Fahy was awarded the Revenue Commissioner's Bursary Purchase Prize for her Degree Show and was selected for 'Quadrant - The Young Contemporaries' exhibition in the Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick. She was twice short-listed for the Countess Markievicz Medal for Painting by the United Artists Club in Dublin. She won the Larkin Memorial Award and the Irish Times Award for excellence in art teaching. Fahy has exhibited a number of Creative Engagement educational projects in the National Museum of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Botanic Gardens and the National Sports Arena. Mary holds a higher diploma in French from NUIG and was Artist in Residence in Camac Arts Centre, France, in 2012 and in the Burren Eco Unesco Geopark in 2019. In 2022 she was selected by Glór for their Artist to Artist Mentoring Programme, and was thrilled to be mentored by acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Vera Klute. Fahy co-founded the Clare Artist-Mother Collective with artists Bella Watson and Bonnie Boyle in 2022 and together with artist Edel Hogan they collaborated on an experimental residency 'Time and Space', at the Courthouse Gallery and Studios, Ennistymon in summer 2022 and in Cowhouse Studios, Wexford 2023. Mary’s recent exhibitions include: 2024: Beep Painting Biennial longlist, Swansea, 'Europe in the Heart of Ireland' Hamilton Gallery, ' Boyle Arts Festival, Signal Arts Centre, Cliften Arts Festival, Burren College of Art, The Hunt Museum (2nd prize winner), Leitrim Design Centre, Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery. 2023: RUA Red Spring Open Exhibition ‘Displacement and Belonging - Home’. 2022: ‘Equilibrium’ Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar; Mermaid Arts Centre, ‘Stretched- The Art of Motherhood’ at The People’s Museum, Limerick; 'Points of Perspective' Artlinks Fort Dunree. Her work has been pre-selected for the Royal Ulster Academy '22 and the RHA '23 and '24. She was shortlisted for Pallas Studios PP/S Artist-Initiated Programme 2023 and was awarded funding from Clare Arts Office in '23 and '24. Mary is a member of 126 Gallery, Ormston House, VAI and ATAI. Mary facilitated an Artists in Schools collaboration with curator Jenny Guy (Art School), Mitch Conlon (Array Collective), assistant curator Fiona Gannon, and artist James Moran, commissioned by Clare Arts Office. This project featured in the Arts in Education Portal national conference 2023. Mary's current body of work, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland Agility Award explores ritual grief practices at ‘DabhachBhríde' (Brigid's Well) and has been exhibited in a two-person show with Frances Berminghamin the Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery, The Clare Museum, and ÁrasÉanna, InisOírr. Mary was an invited artist in the ‘Bullaí (Buoys) outdoor exhibition on InisOírr, July 2023. Mary won the Clare Artist Residency Bursary 2023 to Cowhouse Studios, Wexford. Upcoming solo show Portumna Castle 2025.
Mary works from her studio in Ennistymon on the Wild Atlantic Way. Her unique visual language is grounded in intuition, personal experience and direct observation. Fahy's work is in numerous public and private collections, both national and international, including the Revenue Commissioners, The Boyle Civic Art Collection, Camac Arts Centre in France, and in the collection of President Michael D. Higgins. Her work is held in private collections worldwide, including Ireland, the UK, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, The USA, Australia and The UAE.