Born in Dublin in 1964,[citation needed] she is a graduate of Middlesex University and Coventry University, where she graduated with a BA in Fine Art in 1991.
She now lives and works from her home in County Leitrim.
[citation needed] She has had many solo and group exhibitions.
Many of her works are held in public and private collections in Ireland, USA and Europe.
[5] Symes received a bursary for a residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in 2004.