COMMUNITY: Westport welcomes new artwork this weekend

WESTPORT is welcoming a new piece of public art with the launch this Saturday, October 7, of ‘All is Well’, by Mayo artist Cathal McCarthy, at the Tubber Hill Housing Development. The artwork will be officially launched by Damien McGlynn, Director of Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts in social and community contexts in Ireland.
Visual artist and sculptor Cathal McCarthy has been working in collaboration with local poet Mary C Reilly and residents of the Tubber Hill Housing Development on this visual arts and poetry project. Cathal, Mary and other local artists have facilitated arts workshops with residents and friends exploring the theme ‘Living on the Hill’.
Cathal has previously completed a number of public commissions, including ‘Word-Tree’ for Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh (2020), ‘Stream-Spire Mullingar’ for Westmeath Co Council (2011), and ‘The Player’ on the N17 at Ballindine for Mayo Co Council (2003).
Commenting ahead of the launch, he described his time working with Mary and the residents ‘was a wonderful experience’. “This public art project is testament to what can be achieved when creative opportunities are made available for people to participate in,” he said.
After studying literature and philosophy, Mary C Reilly began reading poetry at ‘What The Folk’ in Westport. She has published two collections of poetry, ‘The Woman Who Cries Songs’ (2014) and ‘Only Speak in Flowers’ (2016), and has had poems published in many anthologies, including ‘Present Tense’, a Mayo County Council anthology, and most recently in ‘Chasing Shadows’, a Creative Ireland anthology.
The Tubber Hill workshops included creative writing for adults and young people, poetry reading, rapping, circus skills, painting and sculpture. From these engagements and research Cathal created the final artwork – four specially designed panels incorporated into railings at the steps of the local the green area.
The panel design is a combination of poetry and patterns from nature. Each panel displays a line from a poem, including poetry written by residents at the workshops and poetry by Mary and by Paddy Guthrie.
All are welcome to the launch, which takes place at 2pm, and refreshments will be provided.