Limerick’s first ground mural shines bright

IT IS hoped that a new ground mural on the Honan's Quay riverfront in the city centre can help “bring life back into the centre of Limerick”.

The colourful project has been developed on the riverfront by local artist collective Draw Out alongside their partners, Limerick City and County Council and University of Limerick.

Catherine O’Halloran of Draw Out said they wanted to “distil the existing design pattern that had been developed by Artist Digo Diego for the campus elevation and extract the DNA to ensure all the design elements translated effectively to the flat”.

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“We worked in collaboration with Artist Digo Diego to create a harmony between both artworks, we are both delighted with the finished result and have been honoured to work with representatives of Limerick City and County Council as well as the University of Limerick, where both teams have proven to be incredibly forward thinking and truly invested in the future of the city.

“These spaces are so vital to bring life back into the centre of Limerick. The space here in Honan's Quay feels like it has already been inhabited when you arrive, it is inhabited with a warmth, a joy, and a playful energy that instantly resonates with those who enter into it. You cannot but smile and feel compelled to play or pause and that is the impact of public art. It can reshape the experience we have with any location within the public realm,” she said.

The Honan's Quay area now provides recreational opportunities in the form of the Mobile Urban Forest, seating areas and table tennis tables within its borders.

Following the unveiling of the mural, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell commented: “With vibrant hues and interlocking shapes, Draw Out have transformed Honan’s Quay into a captivating canvas of colour and creativity. The ground mural is a testament to the collaborative spirit that breathes life into our city. It adds a new dimension to the original mural on the walls of UL’s City Campus. Honan’s Quay has become a lively public space inviting all to play, pause and be mesmerised by the impact of art on an urban landscape."

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UL President Professor Kerstin Mey added: “I am so excited to see how the mural that Draw Out and Digo Diego created on the walls of our City Campus is now emanating out and becoming part of the streetscape.

"We wanted to create something with the original mural project for the building that would be dynamic and vibrant and is, I think, now quite iconic for the city. The complementary extension of the initial project into a ground mural is something we are equally excited about.

“Public art should be expressive of place and Digo’s original design, that has informed this latest project, articulates the interactions of the city, the river and nature in organic ways and symbolises the ethos of sustainable growth as a hallmark for the future development of the campus.”