WHAT LIES BENEATH

Niall MacMonagle

AGABLE end, an uneven, shabby surface, plastic down pipes make for one uninspring wall. But that was before artist ADW got to work. Strongbow and Aoife is one of three murals painted last month in Ferns over “nine VERY long days, up a cherry picker, during the hottest temperatures this country has seen in 30 years. Pretty tough going, but an unforgettable experience”. ADW, uninterested in ego, prefers not to say what ADW stands for but knew “from the time I picked up my first stencil and spray can in 2008, that was for me.

“I’ve painted up and down the country, exhibited in galleries, hosted solo exhibitions, have been commissioned by numerous bars, restaurants and brands.”

The Ferns murals, commissioned by Wexford County Council, with “massive help” from Waterford Walls, were chosen carefully in terms of subject matter and location.

Dermot MacMurrough, Aoife’s father, is close to his final resting place in St Edan’s Cathedral cemetery; Strongbow and Aoife are “halfway up the town is the next chapter in the family tree”; and the third features William Marshall and Isabel de Clare, Aoife and Strongbow’s daughter, close to Ferns Castle “at the top of the town” which they built.

Local historians and archaeologists were consulted and in this mural “scenes of war and love are depicted, along with native Irish animals and flashes of medieval and Celtic designs that reflect and evoke a time long ago”.

An accompanying text, from Wexford County Council, reads ‘Blood Wedding 1170 — Aoife, Princess of Leinster and the Norman Warlord Strongbow, married on a battlefield’.

Will it last? “The longevity of the piece isn’t the main objective when I paint outdoors. You’re leaving it to the mercy of the streets. That’s the fun part, watching your offering take on a life of its own.”

And feedback? “Very positive. I think people of all ages and backgrounds love to see colourful, engaging artwork in their area, even sparking a sense of pride in communities and neighbourhoods.”

Pride, certainly, in this bright, dramatic, loved-up wall.

‘Aoife and Strongbow’ was commissioned by The Walls Project which will host Waterford Walls, Ireland’s largest Street Art Festival from August 17-26. www.waterfordwalls.ie