– Bobbi Katz, “October” [1]
It’s Halloween Eve as I write this, and those pumpkins aren’t going to carve themselves, so I better get busy with this autumnal missive. Did I mention I love Halloween? It’s called Allan’s Christmas in this house. Welcome to my October newsletter! (Links once again can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.) The above image is from my short animation, A Rift in the Lift which you can find below! [2]
Weddings:
A helluva busy October with weddings all over Ireland. Normally October quietens down for me but I had a late start to the season this year and I love what I do so not complaining! October brought me to Talbot Hotel Ballincollig, Ballykealey House Carlow, Bloomfield House Hotel Mullingar, Shamrock Lodge Hotel Athlone, Belleek Castle Ballina, and the Slieve Russell Hotel Cavan. Things get a little quieter in November which will allow my shoulder muscles to knit back together in time for Christmas party season which is going to be a busy one this year! The above photo is from a wedding I posted on the blog this month from Shannonbridge last year. [3]
RIP Patrick Stewart
I’m absolutely gutted at the loss of Patrick Stewart. Star Trek is entwined with my being, I’ve been hiding behind couches for 45 years between the Original series and The Next Generation. Picard is one of the greatest fictional characters of all time through the complex and dedicated performance of Patrick Stewart. He was a truly impressive activist speaking out regularly on domestic violence drawing from his own harrowing experiences as a child. A great has passed.
He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again.
Reviews:
I’ve had some genuinely incredible feedback from customers in October. It’s such an enormous privilege to be a part of a couple’s big day and to make such an impression on them and their guests and I’m so thankful for every bit of feedback I get, especially like this:
“We had Allan doing live caricatures at our recent wedding in Mullingar, and he was a big hit! His infectious personality and the fun he brought to creating each drawing made the experience all the more enjoyable. The caricatures were a lovely alternative wedding favour for our guests to take home.
He was so popular that there was still a big queue right up until the bell rang for dinner! His communication throughout was fantastic, and he helped create some lovely memories from the day. We would highly recommend Allan to any couples looking for something a little different for their drinks reception. Thanks again Allan.” – Laura Monaghan
“Personal highlight of our wedding day! Such a talking point and everyone engaged and wanted their own. We too got ours done and have it ready for framing as a momento of our day. We kept it as a surprise for our family and friends and it was worth it. Would highly reccomend Allan and his talent. Thanks for a fantastic afternoon!” – Kevin Galvin
“Absolutely fantastic!!! Not only was Allan’s drawing spectacular but all our guests commented on his personality!! Allan was so amazing, such a fantastic person with a fantastic personality & those final minutes before d madness kicked off he took the time to draw us when everyone else was gone inside. Those precious moments everyone talks about…..Allan made sure we had those!! We would definitely 100% recommend Allan!!! Thank you Allan for being such an important part of our celebrations. We will be forever grateful! Everyone is still taking about u!! U are fantastic at wat u do xx” – Bernie Jordan
There aren’t many jobs where you get to make that kind of impression on people. Obligatory bit of Irish self-deprecation in the face of praise: I’m often asked how I become an artist and I tell them the first step is to be useless at everything else, and I’m very good at that. It’s as well I have the drawing! You can see all my recent reviews at the link below. [4]
A still from another spooky animation of mine, Oisin’s Return, find it below! [5]
Commissions:
I posted two commissions on the blog this month. Above is another of my canvas wedding signing boards [6] that shipped a little while ago. For my wedding signing boards I create a gentle caricature of the couple in their wedding attire surrounded a collage of their hobbies and interests. In this case the couple love going to concerts & travelling, especially to Italy, so I have a cascade of concert tickets falling about them, and two suitcases packed for Italy.
Below is another commission, this time a Gardai Graduation Gift. Each year new recruits to the Garda Siochána graduate from the Garda Síochána College in Templemore, and I was asked to create a gift for this new Garda, and I’ve drawn her holding a rugby ball and horse-riding helmet, and her pet dog is nearby as well as her GAA team jersey![7]
Cartoons:
A groundbreaking new study by scientists has detected large amounts of a simple sugar made of 4 carbon atoms, called erythruloses, in the Milky Way. What’s absolutely fascinating is similar sugars exist structurally in DNA and RNA on Earth. Personally I think at this stage we’ve enough circumstantial evidence for the existence of extra-terrestrial life that we’ll soon be able to get our ET Blu-rays signed by an ET. We can meet them for tea next to Bertrand Russell’s Celestial teapot. If they take sugar we’ve already got that sorted. I sent this cartoon to one of the chief scientists involved in the research, Izaskun Jimenez-Serra, and she wrote back to say she loved it, and she’s going to use it in her talks! [8]
Not Halloween-related but definitely seasonal! Optimus and Bumblebee enjoy an autumnal stroll.
A still from my final spooky animation series, this time it’s a music video for Adore’s Show Me Your Teeth. Watch the adventures of a cute little vampire trying to find a familiar below! [9]
And some more cartoons with spooky shenanigans:
Arts Council Saga:
The latest dispatch in the saga of my complaint about degenerative AI being used for Culture Night was a reply from the Arts Council with what appears to be a commitment to review for next year:
“In the coming weeks and months, we will review this year’s iteration and plan for Culture Night 2027. As part of that, we will review the criteria for participating organisations.”
It’s a fairly non-committal commitment and in my experience Irish state bodies are just coasting these days when it comes to feedback from concerned individuals, but for what it’s worth I’ve strongly suggested they involve artists affected by the use of degenerative AI in any such review. You can read about the whole affair below at [10].
Film:
A spooky batch this month. Obsession is probably fine if you’re a young adult but it was pretty annoying and boring for this 51 year old. It’s a good looking film and is an amazing financial success which I love to see but it features literally the worst prop I have ever seen in a film and characters that seem to forget they were in the previous scene together. A very young writer/director who will learn and grow.
Backrooms was excellent, with a similiar origin story to Obsession with an incredibly young director scooped up from internet creepy-pasta and given a blank creative slate. It was Severance meets Matthew Barney meets Being John Malkovich meets the novel Piranesi meets Jordan Peele’s Us.
Hokum was by far the strongest of the 3 spooky ouevres I watched this month. A little too busy for its own good it’s still utterly engrossing and creepy from start to finish. I got to meet many of the terrifying little props when I was in Paul McDonnell’s Stiúideo Fia in August for Frame Fest! [11]
That’s it for this month. Have a very Happy Halloween! I’ll leave you with some more Star Trek love, and a bonus, bonus cartoon at the very bottom…
[Did you enjoy this? Did you read it to the end? Do you have feedback? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line!]
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I’m Allan Cavanagh and I have been professionally producing caricatures and cartoon art for over 20 years.
[1] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54670/october-56d23549a1ec8
[2] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/friday-cartoon-the-rift-in-the-lift/
[3] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/jj-killeens-shannonbridge-wedding-entertainment/
[4] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/google-reviews-allan-cavanagh-caricatures/
[5] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/oisin-and-tir-na-nog/
[6] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/wedding-guestbook-alternative-caricature-signing-board/
[7] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/gardai-graduation-gifts/
[8] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/science-cartoon-sugar-found-in-space/
[9] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/new-animated-music-video-adore-show-me-your-teeth/
[10] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/irish-arts-bodies-promote-generative-ai-for-culture-night-2026-guilty-of-helping-destroy-arts-careers/
[11] https://www.caricatures-ireland.com/newsletter-august-2026/
