Murals and street art could become feature of Navan

Meath County Council is to look at the possibility of having murals painted at various locations around Navan, similar to the portrait of Francis Ledwidge painted on a gable in Slane.

At a meeting of Navan Municipal Council last week, a commitment was given that the council would explore the possibility of providing this type of street art.

Cllr Francis Deane had called on the Council to identify key locations throughout Navan, particularly Trimgate Street, Kennedy Road, Watergate Street and Cannon Row, with a view to placing street art or murals on buildings “in celebration of cultural/historic events/famous people from Navan.” Cllr Deane gave an example of Sir Francis Beaufort as someone who could be celebrated in this way.

He pointed out that there were several towns around the country where this kind of art is prominent.

“During lockdown, a lot of this work has been done and it has been very successful. There is a lot of history attached to Navan. The late Joe Reilly always spoke about the meeting of the Boyne and Blackwater as a major attraction, and it could be featured,” he said.

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said he fully supported Cllr Deane's motion. “I approached the council and a local artist with a similar proposal pre Covid and asked if the wall at the Fair Green opposite the Solstice Arts Centre could be used for murals, which I think would make the centre of town more appealing to visitors.

“There's a lot of potential to make Navan a brighter town in this regard and I will work with Cllr Deane to get this initiative off the ground.”

The Mayor Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons pointed out that a Cork artists work has featured in the Street Art Cities’ Top 100 list.

“The wall at the Fair Green is looking a bit decrepit at the moment and anything that would brighten it up would be great,” he said.

Council officials acknowledged that the use of street art or murals on buildings in urban areas has become increasingly popular throughout the Covid pandemic.

“Meath County Council cultural services will explore the possibility of providing such street art or murals in the context of the provisions set out in the existing arts, cultural, infrastructure and heritage plans adopted by the local authority. On completion of this internal review, it will then be possible to consider the future feasibility of such a project, by engaging with all the relevant external stakeholders,” the councillors were told.

An example of the street art is the mural of the poet Francis Ledwidge in Slane. In 2017, the Francis Ledwidge Museum Committee commissioned artist Ciarán Dunleavy to paint a mural of the poet in the village garden, as part of the centenary celebrations of the poet’s death at the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.

For Christmas 2020, the same artist created scenes from Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ in the windows of Slane’s vacant shop units.