Temple Bar is a good central starting point to anyone wanting to make a dent on the Dublin street art scene. The whole route is only 1.4 kilometres in length, which should take no more than 6 hours. However if you can resist the lure of those 8 pints of Guinness, the hearty Irish meals and the foot stompingly good Irish ballads in the pubs, then you can do it all in 15-20 minutes.

I’ve walked the following route and saved it to Alltrails. So you don’t get lost in the narrow streets or alleyways that zigzag through Temple Bar, here’s the link to save the day. Though many a day has been lost in Temple Bar with no memory of where or what happened. Though hardly in search of street art.

The best route for the Temple Bar Street Tour

The walking tour begins on O’Connell Bridge, about as central as you can get in the city. Walk down Aston Quay and enter Temple Bar via Price’s Lane. On your right is this seductive piece by Canvaz from Galway. Turning left on to Fleet Street we walk to the top and the intersection with Westmoreland Street for an entry from Dublin Canvas. This is known as Party Huns and is by Claire Provost a French illustrator operating in Dublin. Definitely a reference to the night life in the streets nearby.

Retracing our steps back along Fleet Street to the corner of Parliament Row, we come across a wall frequently changed by Subset. Now we have one by artists called Submission Control, featuring a series of wrestling maneuvers. Perhaps there is a deep meaning to it. Perhaps it’s just for fun and colour pop though. This is Submission 1. You’ll find some others in Terenure, Harolds Cross and off Camden Street.

We are back down the side streets on Aston Place to the colourful Icon Factory shop and enter Bedford Lane. This lane is a tribute to musicians of ireland and known as Icon Lane, but also has its share of street art. The ones dominating it are by Kevin Bohan especially his newbie “Inner City Blues” which marks the 50 year anniversary of the Marvin gaye album What’s Going On. Kevin Bohan is constantly striving to see Temple Bar be protected for its artistic qualities as well as its commercial ones.

Temple Bar’s heart & it’s most impressive murals

Turning the corner take a short walk to the Auld Dubliner Pub, turn, and take in the scale of the Subset mural on the building behind. It’s message relates to the seas and oceans and the plastic being dumped there and ruining the ecosystem. It’s huge and so is its message. Incidentally I used to work in the Auld Dub Pub.

Continuing straight on Angelsea Street til you get to the Blooms Hotel. The entire colourful facade is our next highlight, painted by James Earley and featuring characters from Ulysses by James Joyce. Quite fitting for a hotel called Blooms. Cope street, then Crown Alley, take us past a couple of colourful store fronts and we land in the heart of Temple Bar and its square. Avoiding the aforementioned temptations, we follow Temple Bar’s main cobblestone street, and a short detour to a Kinmx storefront on Fownes Street Lower. Mexican-born, but living in Dublin, she’s my favourite Irish based street artist.

After a left at the institution which is the Temple Bar pub, you’ll find there are a some worthy distractions on the narrow streets of Temple Lane, Crow Street, and a brilliant portrait by @tizxl on Cecilia Street. A Banksy that once was here no longer exists. If it was ever really a Banksy. Does anyone ever really know?

The Final stages of our Temple Bar tour

Our Temple Bar Street Art Tour continues onto Curved Street with some of Pens Pigeons on our right. Above is a portrait of Irish musician, DJ, and broadcaster BP Fallon painted by Maser. Turns on to Eustace Street and Essex Street follow, before a large scale artwork of Irish Olympic Pentathlete Natayla Coyle by artist Sufek West. It’s one of three commissioned by Indeed, with another on Camden Row, Dublin, and Victoria Road, Cork. See Mary’s Bar on your left? Look up above for a quite Stag by James Earley.

We are fast running out of Temple bar streets, but take Sycamore Street up to Dame Street, and spot Dead Meat by Conor harrington. The dead cow is a metaphor for waste and excess in this consumerist society. Our time on Dame Street is brief as we turn down into Campton Court next to the Olympia Theatre.

Here we find “Love The Lanes”, an Anna Doran led initiative to bring colour to the small back lanes of Temple Bar. On Love Lane the walls and pavements are a canvas, and it’s the most colourful dark alleyway in Dublin, you’ll ever have the pleasure of walking down.

Our tour finally wanders onto Parliament street where we find a few beautiful entries by Dublin Canvas, by Iljin and Paul Lucaci. However your exploration of Dublin street art doesn’t need to stop here. Take a journey through the street art of Dublin on one of my other suggested walking tours, in this article- Street Art of Dublin.

The Love Lane Temple Bar

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Ireland has an excellent and growing street art scene. Towns and cities such as Longford and Waterford both have a strong scene made better by annual street art festivals. They are really worth a look.

Let me know if you take the Temple Bar Street art tour, and what you thought of it. Thanks for reading.

Over the last number of years, my interest in street art has grown steadily. It became the highlight of my visit to Brussels and Thessaloniki in Greece. They certainly heightened my attention to that art surrounding me here in Ireland. First the Dublin scene presented itself to me, and it’s local heroes such as Dan Leo and Subset. Earlier this summer I toured the Waterford Walls, further proof that the Irish scene is catching up with the international one.

But the one that took me by surprise was that scene within my own hometown, Longford, where I spent my childhood. I didn’t go in search of art here, as in fact, my expectations were of none. But time after time, visit after visit, I kept coming across mural after mural. Finally, it struck home. Longford has a great art scene! Then came the revelation that the scene didn’t owe itself to a large number of coincidences.

Cruthu Arts Festival

Most of the art in the town is the result of the Cruthú Art Festival, a locally run organisation promoting art and music. Now running annually for the last 4 years (2020 being an exception), each July they have invited artists from the different art mediums to perform events in the town. So it is with street art too, each year 5 artists are asked to expand the works of the town further.

What it all means, is there are an ever growing number of murals in this small market town. Longford, for those who don’t know it (I’m guessing that’s quite a lot of my readers), is a town of around 10,000 people near the centre of Ireland. It has never quite made the tourist trail, except for those taking to the river on the nearby Shannon, Ireland’s longest river. Yet it now boasts an art collection worthy of bringing visitors.

Gene from Cruthu has been a great help in helping me locate murals, and providing information on their artists and meaning. There is no theme given to artists, they are given the creative space and allowed to paint what they want. As you will see below, some chose to paint about local folklore, while others had other motivations. There is also a local initiative called “adolescent antics” where local secondary (high) school students train with an established artist in the towns market square. The best of these works are displayed around the town. The Square Eyes series you will see later was part of this.

A suggested tour of the walls of the Cruthu Arts Festival

With that in mind let me take you on a tour of the street art of the Cruthu Arts Festival. On the way into town (if you are approaching from Dublin), you might just spot the one below on the Dublin Road, just opposite Lidl. It’s actually a reference to the most traumatic thing to happen to the town this century.

On Christmas Day 2019, a huge fire engulfed the town’s cathedral. The cathedral museum was destroyed and contained a number of ecclesiastical artifacts including the 9th century Crozier of St Mel. The cathedral itself was mostly gutted also. Thankfully, it has since been restored and regains its status as the town’s finest building. It will come into vision on the right, not far from this mural. The mural is the work of Phil Atkinson, a local artist, whose work can be seen all over town also.

Our tour begins in the Longford Centre, the shopping heart of the town. There’s ample parking and also a chance to pick up a bite after your trip here. It’s also a great place to start your quest. What’s more parking is free throughout the town for 2020. Take a walk down Ardrum Court, where you will be met by the following art to get you started. The first we meet is half of the wooing of Etain, from Cruthu 2017. This is by graphic designers No Apology Design.

In the rear car park of Crossans shop, we find the first of several portraits by Pavel Iljin, a Dublin-based artist. His penchant is for portraits.

The legend of Etain and Midir

While no direction was given to the artists, the local legend of Etain and Midir is a common theme. It tells the story of a prince Midir who fell in love with Etain, a beautiful maiden. As it turns out Midir was already married to Fuamnach, but as bygomy wasn’t a fairy crime, she allowed this. For a while that is. Seizing an opportunity, she first turned Etain into a butterfly and then using a storm banished her from the empire atop the local Ardagh Mountain.

Searching the land for years she finally ended up in Ulster where she landed in the goblet of the wife a local chieftain. Drinking it impregnated her immediately, and thus Etain was reborn again in nine months. This certainly would make some engrossing daytime TV nowadays.

When she grew up she wedded the high king of Ireland. As faith would have it Etain and Midir’s paths crossed again. Bound by marriage Etain wouldn’t return to Midir. However, Midir conjured a plan to win her back, via a game of chess. No, I didn’t see that coming either. Winning a kiss-off Etain in a game, Midir finally had his opportunity. With her in his arms, they vanished and were last seen as a pair of swans gliding away back to the magic kingdom.

Continuing the Tour of the Cruthu walls

Now, where was I? At this time continue the tour by leaving the car park and out onto Chapel Lane. The Lighthouse keeper, a moody black and white mural awaits, which was painted by Estr (Emma Blake) in 2016. Just around the corner of this building is the first of the murals by James Quinn (CERN) a New York native. CERN has been painting since the early ’90s and his works can be seen in South America, South Africa, Europe, and the US. This one, from 2017, definitely evokes emotions of a time long gone.

Main Street

Ar first glance Main Street doesn’t particularly have much to offer the art lover. Looks are often deceptive of course. A series of alleyways off to the side provided the artists with a large number of walls. The first is Garvey’s Lane, the result of a collaboration between Iljin and KINMX. KINMX (Kathrina Rupit) is a Mexican-born, Dublin-based, street artist who generally combines social issues with femininity in her art. I’m also a big fan of her work in Dublin. Further through the lane is another from Iljin.

The next little laneway has a Mary Poppins-influenced depiction on the end wall from the Square Eyes project. The third alleyway filled with goodies is that in Kelly’s Yard; the first being an excellent multicoloured effort by a local, Ciara Farrell. The other here is CERN’s Owl from 2016. The artist found himself on a highway with an owl flying alongside and thus was the inspiration behind this. He attempted to capture both the energy and peacefulness of the nighttime.

Out of town art of the Cruthu arts festival

My suggested route to see all the murals now takes you out of town a little to see some of the art on the outskirts, before looping back in (a car or bike may come in handy). Follow Richmond St out to Casey’s Cosy Cafe, which is vibrantly painted by Phil Atkinson. One of CERN’s more unusual efforts is then seen on St Michaels Road. This long route then takes the Athlone Road to Royal Canal Ave, where a couple of excellent Birds with Beats by Phil Atkinson are nesting. The estate finally leads to Harbour View which brings you back to the Market Square.

Market Square

The first stop here is canal Court with another of Phil Atkinson’s “Birds with Beats” from 2016. Right next to it is another Iljin beauty. Based on the most epic of stories from Irish mythology, the Tain, which tells of a war between Ulster and Queen Madbh of Connacht. In summary, Queen Madhb stole a bull known as the Brown Bull of Cooley, a prize bull and symbol at the time. She was pursued by Cu Chulainn, the greatest warrior in Irish folklore, across the country with their path passing these lands. As with much Irish mythology the story had far from a happy ending, and something of an early anti-war message.

The very first piece of the Cruthu Arts Festival back in 2016, was in fact this one on the back of the Dealz shop. CERN was guest of honour that year and proceeded to set the festival on the right track. I’ve separated the mural so you may appreciate it better.

We travel back along the Athlone Road for one more mural before looping into the centre of town for a motherload of art. Kenny’s Corner is a stunning reimaging of how it once was. Bog Lane leads into Longford Town Car Park and Jonny McKerrs’ mural inspired by Etain & Midir called Etain’s cup.

Longford’s Brick Lane

Continuing through the car park, we arrive on Ballymahon Street. You can’t miss KINMX’s remarkable portrait across the street. Or the promise of more art behind it. This is on Breaden’s Lane off New Street, Longford’s Brick Lane if you will. As soon as you enter you’ll come across “Spelt out in Ribbon” by DMC (Dermot McConaghy). This Belfast artist is famed for his thought provoking work. This is hands down my favourite in the town, and is about a mother’s memory of childhood and always wearing a ribbon in her hair. Most of the rest of the artworks here were produced as part of the square eyes series.

Our tour finally finishes on Dublin Street and the final piece on the frontage of the old Gardai station. It is now the scene of art by Shane Turner, a Montreal based artist creating pop and urban art. This was added in 2019.

To learn more about the Cruthu Arts Festival or their events for subsequent years, visit their website. I for one will be looking with anticipation to what 2021 will bring. Let’s hope it sees a year of more remarkable art in this small Irish town. Cruthu 2021 will run from July 20 to July 25th.

If you have an interest in the Irish street art scene, then I suggest you delve into my blogs on Dublin and Waterford.

Have you visited the murals of Longford? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

History of Waterford Walls

Waterford Walls is the brainchild of founder Edel Tobin. The project was first started as a means to bring renewal to depressed areas of the city. Originally founded as a pop-up garden on a derelict site, the project subsequently grew from there into a small local street art festival. The following five years have seen exponential growth and the festival is now internationally renowned and has invited over 160 artists to date.

Waterford Walls’ team runs a guided art trail of the walls, which can be booked on their website. Note these are limited somewhat at the time of writing, as a result of current government restrictions.

The 2020 festival runs from July 13th to August 28th and will see Case Maclaim, Aches & Maser, Maker & Land, Russ, Curtis Hylton, Nean and a whole host of others to bring their reimaginings to the city’s public spaces. Now that you know the background behind this wonderful festival, isn’t it time to get to the art?

A Waterford Walls Guided Tour

I was delighted to be invited by Terez of Waterford Walls to take a guided tour and gladly took up the offer. My tour occurred just days before the start of the new festival and as I entered the committee office, planning was very much in full flow. The office itself is quite distinguishable, helped by the Dan Leo bird that adorns it. His colourful depiction of animals is unmistakable. It was here that I met Ciaran, who would be my guide for the next hour or so. Ciaran has been with the team here for over a year, and as a local lad was indeed very knowledgeable about the area and the art.

The tour began with a special mural, the tiger by Sonny (a South African artist) on Newgate Street. Bringing attention to the plight of Tigers, of which only 4000 exists in the wild. It’s striking, and the dangers are emphasised by the glass shards surrounding it. Right around the corner is one by Kreemos from Russia. If you can tell the hidden message in the writing, then you have a keener eye than I do.

We moved to Stephen Street where a full wall of art awaits. A work by local artist Coilfhionn Hanton focusing on racial diversity in the city is probably the main focus here. Next is the colourful signature of Rask. The three sisters in the following one represent three rivers nearby, the Barrow, Nore, and Suir, collectively known as that. The artists commonly try to include aspects of local nature and geography in their art. Also here is a rainbow serpent by Kevin Bohan who used Aboriginal painting techniques, and a building frontage by Eoin.

Patrick Street art

Ciaran then led me to Patrick Street, where first we saw the puffin by Meshos, a Belgian artist. Again referencing local wildlife, the bird is painted in a raw visceral defragmented style. In the bird’s eye, the skyline of Waterford can be seen. Just around the corner, a rabbit by Dan Leo hops into view.

Nearby on Little Patrick St I set my eyes on a personal favourites. Curtis Hyltons masterpiece adorns the walls of the Finders Keepers store. Its central character is a child, looking at the marvels of the seaside, and the creatures that lie beyond. Right across from it two further portraits make this area unmissable.

All the way throughout the tour Ciaran provided excellent backstories to all the art, and an insight I couldn’t have garnered on my own. Our next stop found is in an alleyway, where the pick of the paintings here was a dog. The dog, Ned, is in fact that of Edel (the mastermind behind Waterford Walls), and become something of a celebrity owing to it. Again the excellent Curtis Hylton painted this. The foxes on the interior of the tunnel are a real explosion of colour too. Our introductory tour ended at the old Waterford Walls HQ, where Curtis Hylon also left his mark.

Continuing the tour on my own

Ciaran left me not only with a wealth of information from the tour but also an invaluable map to find some of the other murals scattered throughout the residential parts of the city. Armed with this I set off alone to find the rest of what the city has to offer. It’s really worth leaving the city behind. You can find that map here.

On Ciarans good advice I left the centre via Barrack Lane, and immediately my walk paid dividends. Two house sides featuring portraits off Barrack Street were the first to catch my eye. I’ve no idea who the artists are, but the bearded man is certainly excellent. The area following had a huge collection in its mazed streets, such as the cartoon-like Animalito, the colourful monkey by Louis Masai, and the Koga One portrait which I found had a particular likeness to Cillian Murphy. This was helped by the fact I’m currently binge-watching Peaky Blinders.

This area continued to marvel me, as every new street produced houses with elegant frontages. Curtis Hylton’s (my new favourite street artist) Swan, is a commentary on pollution in our oceans. Another unmistakable Dan Leo is nearby. An interesting female portrait by Russ and a typical Shane Sutton (whose work usually features astronauts), finished my hunt here.

In search of the mural that brought me to Waterford

From the first time I heard of the Waterford Walls some years back, one particular mural caught my eye. It was a long march up Military Road to take me back towards the River Suir though. Luckily there was lots of art between to keep me distracted. The first to attract my attention was Nina, not least cause it’s my daughter’s name. Again focusing on Irish wildlife, its an excellent view of foxes, by Nina Valkhoff.

Morgan Street took me from my route, but to one even more intriguing. Studying a mural on a corner, it was interesting to read that the woman embracing the octopus, represents Waterford, a city which in fact never fell in its 1000 years history. The octopus depicts Cromwell, who also never breached the city. A faithful depiction by Garreth Joyce, I believe.

The intersection of Thomas and Baker street is another gold mine of art. The pastel colours of Taquen (a Spanish artist), juxtapose perfectly with Louise Masai’s elephants painted in 2016. The bright colours of the elephants only draw more attention to the dark message that 24000 elephants were murdered in 2015.

Monkey Bird, the name of both artist and mural, is one that cannot be missed. Featuring an intricate style, these French artists have obviously created their own distinct identity in their art. The monkey always represents realism, and the bird our dreams.

Sonny

Wandering by Magda above and another Shane Sutton, I finally found myself on Mary Street and the object of my online affections. Sonny, by the South African artist of the same name, features a white tiger walking alongside a girl, Eira in a feather headdress. Sonny has painted large scale murals the world over, and in particular likes to combine fantasy with the natural world. It most certainly did not disappoint; a real traffic stopper, and indeed one of the finest murals on the trail.

Final trail back to the city centre

With my legs tiring, I finally took O’Connell St back to the city centre, and an unrelated search for a coffee and a blaa (a local white bread roll). The street was a tactical choice, and also the ideal one to finish a tour on. The breathtaking Asian street scene by Dan Kitchener is a real standout in a city of glowing art. The street contains around seven murals including the huge Fintan Magee by Australian Fintan, and also the intriguing work by Yasja Leightlijn from Holland below. I was lucky enough to stumble upon two more in the city centre, with Mr Cenz abstract and unusual female face on the KCC bank, along with the woman suffering from the loss of a loved one to war, by the Portuguese artist Huariu.

While I was invited to tour the Walls, I was under no obligation to write about it. All views expressed are my own, and quite frankly the art speaks for itself.

There’s more to Waterford Walls

This is by no means an exhaustive collection. More art lurks in those streets, especially to the east of the centre near Waterford Crystal, for those with the legs to search for them. And that’s before the 2020 festival gets in full swing. I for one will be returning to Waterford, and I recommend anyone contemplating an Irish trip (or a road trip for those already within), to give this south-east city a look.

If you are interested in finding out more about this year’s festival, or purchasing prints of the art from the shop, the Waterford Walls website has an abundance of info.

…and to Irish street art in general

Ireland’s development as a street art destination can also be seen in my hometown of Dublin. If you visit the capital, why not take one of my street art trails there, as detailed in my street art of Dublin blog. Longford is another town with a great scene, encouraged by the Cruthu Arts Festival there.

Loop The names that grace the walls of the city have therefore started to become familiar. Dublin based Fink, Subset, Dan Leo, Maser, Aches and James Earley are responsible for a substantial amount of the art we see in the city and international artists such as Artur Bordalo have graced the streets of Ireland with their talent.

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The troubles with the Street Art of Dublin

However an undercurrent exists beneath the art, a political one. Dublin Corporation and the artists are at loggerheads. Any changes to the facade of a building requires planning permission, even with the consent of the property owner, and also the city’s listed buildings can not have their structures altered. This flies in the face of street art, an ever changing medium, where murals are often changed twice in the time it takes to obtain planning permission.

Subset & the Grey Area Project

From this war of words the Grey Area project was born, a movement to paint murals quicker than the corporation could paint them grey. Dublin corporation are only following the mandated laws, and as such are not the villains either. A new era needs to be ushered in therefore. Behind this push stand Subset and as the spokespeople of the Grey Area Project, they call on the local government to be less hypocritical, as on one hand they are seen to support art but are prohibitive to the cultivation, evolution and progression of the public art culture.

This whole saga stemmed from the famed Stormzy mural which was removed upon order by the corporation. A stark grey wall therefore now stands in its place. Alas Stormzy was not alone in its removal, and as a result the battle remains far from over for the artists. Subsets own Gracie mural in the suburb of Rathmines has also faded to grey. As I write this, the Horseboy mural is under threat from the courts, as is the David Attenborough Mural (with a message about climate change). It has had an order issued demanding its removal.

The curse of Dublin’s development

Dublin seems to be on a jet propelled ride towards modernity. Any area that is deemed rundown or in need of urban renewal, is levelled in favour of new offices and hotels. The cost is as yet untold on the city, but one is already been seen. Above all those areas being upgraded are often where artists bring their own brand of beauty. Therefore the city is finding itself with less and less public canvases and some great art has fallen by the wayside.

One of Dublin’s most beloved and artistic murals was the squirrel by Artur Bordalo. It highlighted the plight of the indigenous red squirrel, which is in danger of extinction at the hands of the North American native grey squirrel. The mural itself was created using thrash found around the city, including for instance a bizarrely placed bicycle. But the mural fell foul to Dublin’s current preoccupation of building as many hotels as is possible. It no longer graces Dublin’s fine city centre.

And yet art conquers all

Dublin’s street art scene remains at the mercy of our prohibitive laws, but it nonetheless has flourished of late. Walls city wide are a constant reminder creativity will triumph over perceived philistinism. Street art in Dublin is alive and well in 2019 in fact.

As I set out six months ago to document and photograph the Dublin scene, I didn’t quite imagine the amount of art that I would find. Many kilometres and some worn shoes later I feel as if I am able to do justice to the art scene. In addition, I’ve endeavoured to separate the art into manageable tours. Bear in mind street art changes as quickly as the minds of its artists and I’ve tried to keep this blog as up to date as possible too. Furthermore, I imagine this is a blog which will see its fair share of edits with time.

As with any capital city, petty crime is a problem in Dublin, and I urge caution while hunting. Above all, stay safe, and enjoy.

Suggested Dublin Street art Walking Tours

To get a geographical sense of Dublin, it is in fact split by the river Liffey, with the area to north commonly known as the North side and the area to the south known as southside. Altogether very imaginative. The Northsiders are traditionally more working class, with the Southsiders more upper class, but those lines have become well crossed over the years. It makes for good banter between Dubs nonetheless.

It is also an ideal way to split the city for the purpose of creating individual tours. Where better to start than in Dublin’s social hub Temple Bar.

Temple Bar Street Art Tour

Kicking off on O’Connell Bridge this tour snakes through the narrow cobblestone streets of Dublin’s cultural quarter. One of the highlights of Temple Bar is the Blooms Hotel, which is painted head to toe by James Earley and celebrates Ulysses, that near impossible to read Joycean novel. The narrow lanes and streets of Temple Bar are a feast of street art, and contain murals by Subset, James Earley, Maser, Kinmx, and others. It’s a short tour too at 1.4 kilometres so perfect for a quick introduction to the Dublin scene.

Angiery Camden Core

If time is short and there is only one area that you can visit to sample Dublin’s street art, then this is it. Stretching from Dame Street to the suburb of Portobello it is in fact a treasure trove of murals. It’s also the best area to go for a pint in this humble writers opinion, if you want to meet some Dubs and not just tourists.

The tour begins much as the Temple Bar one left off, on Dame Street. From Palace Street take the first left down the ally way to connect to Georges St and your first mural. Further on you should see the ever insensitive sign, “Why Go Bald” which is a leftover from a hair transplant company from decades ago. It is your marker to take you down Dame Lane and some fine art though. Drury st will bring you back to Aungier St and principal area for Dublin’s street art.

Liberty Lane Dublin 2

Liberty Lane, located to the rear of Whelans Pub is in fact an ever changing canvas frequented by Dan Leo, Aches, ADW, Brutto and others. As a result it’s a must on any Dublin street tour. The adjoining Camden Row is a favourite of Subset, and takes us back to Camden Street, whose side streets are sure to preoccupy you with even more works.

Bernard Shaw

Perhaps this article is timely. One location in Dublin has always been a patron of street arts, good street food, hip hop and dance music. But now it closed at the end of October 2019. As a message painted on the outside now asks “where will the art go?” It still there; for the moment. Consequently if you are in Dublin don’t miss the opportunity to see Dublin’s greatest facility for street artists. A great editorial by Una Mullally in the Irish Times highlighted the once again poor planning process which has taken a cultural treasure from us.

The art is constantly been recycled here and up and coming artists often use the walls here to hone their skills. Maser set up shop here eleven years ago for example. One of the most evocative murals the city has seen, graced the walls of the Bernard Shaw. It was a portrait of Savita Halappanavar by Aches, with the letters Y E S emblazoned on top. The abortion referendum drew great debate in Ireland, and Savita had a few years prior sadly lost her life after a miscarriage. It drew great attention from the media, and the public in general, becoming a symbol of the yes campaign. Many came to lay flowers before the mural, or leave notes of sorrow and gratitude. Considering the artist only chose to paint it the night before, its amazing the profound impact it had.

Portobello

The Angiery Camden Tour comes continues on Richmond with Masers “Don’t be Afraid” on Richmond Place (the last words of Seamus Heaney, then followed by “Thoughts”, a mural of George Bernard Shaw by Fink on Synge Street. A walk along Dublin’s peaceful Grand Canal is the perfect way to soak in all that art before taking Charlemont road to Peters Place, another favourite location of Dublin’s artists.

Peter’s Place

Dublin 6 Tour

This tour is above all only for those with time and energy to burn. Or a car. Yet it has with rewards for those that do though. If its a step to far I suggest cutting it short and following Harrington St to the immense David Attenborough Mural. Otherwise cross the Grand Canal again and Mountpleasant Avenue to Ranelagh. From here Rathmines is a long walk though. Further south in Bushy Park is another Subset work, before the tour returns to the villages of Terenure and Harolds Cross. Crossing the Grand Canal brings you back to the City Centre and Harrington Street.

Liberties Tour

The Liberties was formerly one of Dublin’s best locations for street art, owing in particular to the car park of the Tivoli on Francis Street. Sadly the car park has now become a building site, and as a result the art is trapped behind. The Liberties still have a number of redeeming murals though. Continue on up Clanbrassil St from The Angiery Camden Tour or the Dublin 6 tour, and turn onto Francis St. Here is Fink’s famed Stop Wars mural. Passing the trapped art of the Tivoli, you arrive on Thomas Street and the Guinness distillery. Finally take in the elaborate wall above Roe and Co. Bridgefoot Street will then take you to the liffey and the next tour.

Smithfield Tour

Smithfield is now one of Dublin’s trendiest neighbourhoods, which is in fact a far cry from its past. It was once the location of a major market, and still hosts a bi-annual horse fair. As regards street art, it was here that the famous Stormzy Mural debacle helped give birth to the Grey Area Project. The Haymarket and Proper Order Coffee Company are the first stop on your tour, and the square has in addition several pieces around its circumference.

North Dublin Suburbs Tour

Take the streets by the Jameson distillery to arrive on Church Street and a further route that passes into the suburbs of Phibsborough and Drumcondra. The first work is one of the most famed, Subsets Horseboy, of a horse bound youngster and a backdrop of the Smithfield Horse Fair. Continue on Phibsborough Road to Constitution Hill Flats, for a representation of a real life incident that took place in Dublin, when a train overshot the tracks and ploughed through the wall of Dublin’s Harcourt St Station.

The Pack Page in Phibsborough is also a great sponsor of the arts, and worth travelling to. Continue to Drumcondra and the area surrounding Croke Park, where the art turns next to support of Dublin in GAA. The black and white Brendan Behan adorning the side of a house in Richmond Cottages is an absolute must see also. Finally Dorset St takes the tour back to the centre of the city.

Dublin North City Centre

Returning to the city centre and the shopping region surrounding Henry St, there are two places here in particular that are worth trawling. The first is the fruit markets around Mary Street and Chancery Street, and then Strand Street. Finish with the Italian Quarter and its imposing Last Supper before facing the Liffey and a walk to the docks.

Docks Tour

The next and last tour travels through Dublin’s renovated docklands. The design begins on Tara Street with the distinctive Tara Building, before weaving through the maze of streets beyond to Townsend Street and the Liffey on City Quay. A selection of large and impressive murals takes you to Grand Canal Dock though. Follow Mount St back towards the centre to complete the circular tour..

Dublin Canvas

Dublin Canvas is an initiative run by Dublin Council with the aim to paint the Traffic Light Boxes of the city. No longer a street side eyesore, the initiative has therefore been open to anyone who van “pick up a brush and paint”. As a result, it has produced some really unique ideas, and added something different to the scene. By Spring 2019, 325 boxes in Dublin had in fact been painted. I don’t have a map for the boxes, only a suggestion, if you see a traffic light, there’s therefore a good chance the box on the footpath has been painted. Below are a selection of some of the most interesting ones I have come across.

Bees of Dublin

All over the city are also a series of bees particularly in the Dublin 6 area. the work of an artist called Buzzy Bee, they are a particularly motivitianal set. With messages such as Just Bee, Bee Kind, and Bee Free I can guarentee you will Bee Happy to find them For more on these I refer you to the interview with their artist in the Circular.

Lost Art

Street art is of course constantly changing in any city, and as I compiled this blog, some of the art I intended to include has been painted over or has simply disappeared. Nonetheless they deserve a place in this compilation.

I have used the websites of all the aforementioned artists to keep this blog up to date and the descriptions accurate. For walking tours of Dublin DublinWalls.com has been a great aid, as have also the instagram accounts of subset and DublinStreetStuff. I’m looking forward to continuing my own journey with Dublin and its walls, and above all keeping this guide to the Street Art of Dublin as accurate as I can.

Why not take a look at my walking tour of Brussels and its exuberant comic book art scene, in my blog on its street art and architecture.

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Many thanks for reading.

CarpeDiemEire