Mural on a Cork city street. The county is also considering facilitating street art. Photo: Clare Keogh.
A county councillor has called for a graffiti wall in East Cork so that young people can express their creativity and display their artistic talents to the public through the medium of street art.
Cllr John Buckley put forward a motion at this week’s meeting of the East Cork Municipal District (MD) calling on the MD to facilitate the proposal. The Independent councillor said he has been approached by a number of teenagers in Midleton who are looking for somewhere to paint murals.
“I did a small bit of research on it and there was one in Cork city for a couple of years, there is none in the county at the moment so I was thinking that it might be a nice thing for the youth of the community. It could be used for groups displaying their art, kept on display for a few months and then repainted for the next art piece,” he said.
The motion was seconded by the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Lenihan Foley, who said the idea could also be extended to Youghal. “I’m well aware of very talented graffiti artists that are only standing in the background waiting for permission.” She said that students in the town “brightened up a drab car park, it looked fab” with boards that they painted.
Cllr Ann Marie Ahern also supported the motion. She said there’s “an excellent mural” on an underpass in Midleton and “availability around the town” for more artwork. “It would be an excellent idea to get somebody else’s viewpoint in doing the art. So it may not be what we think, but it could be their viewpoint. It can evoke a lot of conversation and also can bring out art in people,” she said.
Municipal District Officer Susan Hegarty said the MD would welcome suggestions from elected members about locations for a graffiti wall that could be used by the community. She said Cork County Council’s Sustainable Travel Unit has already worked with a youth group in Cloyne to paint graffiti under bridges and on electrical boxes on a cycle route in Midleton.
She added that murals created within the architectural conservation area (ACA) of a town such as Midleton have stricter requirements such as design sign-off from the council and a lifespan of three years before they’re painted over.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.