Aidan Courtney is a Clare based cartoonist, writer, artist. publisher and workshop facilitator.
He studied printmaking in Limerick School of Art and Design. He fell into being a comic strip cartoonist in 2000 when he rang the wrong newspaper and had a weekly comic strip for six months. Since then he has had cartoons and comic strips published in the Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Phoenix Magazine and other publications. He also published cartoons in Irish with the newspaper Lá and the Irish language magazine aimed at secondary school students Comhar Óg.
He set up a publishing company to publish Irish language comics for children. In doing so he published two anthology series featuring talent from Ireland through Irish in the magazine Rírá and the book Ruaille Buaille.
He has worked to a lesser degree as a writer. He scripts comics he draws but also has had a short story on BBC Radio 4 and had a radio play long listed for the PJ OConnor Awards in 2002. He has written for a wedding magazine in Toronto, An Cosantóir and other publications.
He has worked on illustrating short stories for the Education Authority of Northern Ireland. These stories were about life for many in Northern Ireland. They were published and distributed to schools digitally to students. He also illustrated books for the publisher An Gúm (Is Mise Úna le Seamus Mac Eochaidh) and for the author/publisher Nicola Lavelle (Is Mise Nóinín and Glór ar Inis Gluaire both written by Nicola).
As an artist he has had exhibitions while studying in Limerick and recently painted a mural called Bláthanna Fiáine in Corofin, commissioned through the PRISM Scheme
He has worked as a workshop facilitator through Irish and bilingually to show everyone can draw. During Covid he published some videos online to show people how to draw on the channel – Coimicí Gael – Céim ar Chéim
