When Birr Artistic Community comes together: new Mosaic Murals unveiled at Marian Hall
THE unveiling of two new mosaic murals at the entrance to the Marian Hall carpark took place in Birr recently.
Led by Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, this project was supported by Offaly County Council Creative Ireland Community Projects where mosaic artist, Aidan Byrne, worked with members of Birr Art Group over the summer months to create two murals that present the rich heritage and culture of our town.
Speaking at the unveiling, Emma Nee Haslam highlighted how the community “Completed this project, quite literally piece by piece!” From the outset, Offaly County Council called for proposals from communities across the county to propose ideas that bring together community groups and a professional artist to create an art project that addresses the heritage and cultural value in our communities.
Linking Birr Art Group with Aidan Byrne provided the group with the opportunity to work in an artform outside their comfort zone and challenge their creativity. The group worked on a weekly basis during the summer months clocking up approximately 200 hours among them. The collaboration extended beyond the group, to Birr Tidy Towns and Birr Municipal District who contributed regarding location and logistics for the project.
The murals tell the story of Birr town, and we see Georgian door and tree lined malls representing the town's architecture, along with the bog rosemary, Birr telescope, Emmet Square monument, churches, croneen fish, hurl and sliotar and the spiral nebula to name just a few of the icons that can be found on the murals that add significantly to our streetscape for visitors and our community to enjoy.
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre acknowledges the support from Offaly County Council Creative Ireland Community Projects 2023, Birr Municipal District (Joe Dunican & John Mitchell), Birr Tidy Towns, Aidan Byrne and the members of Birr Art Group all of whom played a signification role in this all community project.
More information about the project can be found on The Birr Theatre & Arts Centre website : https://www.birrtheatre.com/mosaic-murals and https://www.birrtheatre.com/post/this-mosaic-job-is-anything-but-futile-few-tile-get-it .