Life-sized basking shark sculpture to take centre stage at Achill festival

A life-sized model of a basking shark will be one of the highlights of this November’s Circus Science by the Sea Festival in Achill.

Created by Mayo artist Tom Meskell, the spectacular 40-foot-long lantern sculpture will bring the world’s second-largest fish to life in a celebration of one of Achill’s most iconic visitors.

Basking sharks return to the island’s Atlantic waters each year, making Achill one of the few places in the world where these magnificent creatures can be spotted in significant numbers.

Once hunted for their oil, basking sharks are now fiercely protected, and their numbers have flourished within a generation.

For artist Tom Meskell, bringing the giant shark to life is a long-held ambition.

“I’ve been wanting to do so since I visited the Museum of Natural History in Dublin when I was a child and saw a shark there. There couldn’t be a better place than the island. It’s where I first saw a basking shark in real life. Incredible,” he said.

As the festival’s Artist in Residence, Tom will begin work on the sculpture on 4 November, documenting its creation through a daily online Shark Diary shared on social media.

Islanders and visitors alike are invited to drop in and witness the creative process as wood, tissue and framework are transformed into an extraordinary life-sized representation of the ocean giant.

The finished sculpture will be unveiled on Friday, November 13, at a spectacular opening night in Coláiste Acla, Dooega, Achill. The fully illuminated shark will take centre stage in an immersive exhibition of light and sound, creating the experience of encountering this magnificent creature deep beneath the ocean’s surface.