Dublin (1971-1999)

Born in Dublin, Ireland to Catholic parents, Noel and Mary, Dony Mac Manus (1971 -) gravitated to making art as a way to express himself. His mother was a painter and she may have inspired him.

After high school he attended the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin with the objective of pursuing his interest in figurative sculpture. Having a clear vision of the type of art he was interested in creating, Mac Manus was at odds with the curricula in the Sculpture Department so he moved to the Craft Design Metals program, where he learned silversmithing and goldsmithing. After earning his degree in studio art, Mac Manus also earned a degree in Art and Design Education, from the same college, in 1997.

Mac Manus also regularly visited and sketched what he saw at the National Museum of Ireland-Natural History, The National Gallery of Ireland, and the Dublin Zoo. Through the NCAD, he also got special permission to visit the Royal College of Surgeons to sketch corpses. Through these experiences, he honed his ability to accurately depict human and animal forms.