Wonder walls

COLOURFUL CELEBRATION Foxford’s two new murals are rooted in local heritage.


Foxford community comes together to fund spectacular street art

Ciara Moynihan

As you enter Foxford from the Castlebar side, the world bursts into glorious colour. Flanking the street on either side, rising from the ground and touching the sky, are two stunning new murals.
Two gable walls that were once blank and uninspiring have been coaxed into vibrant life by the creative vision of celebrated Sligo-born street artist Friz (AKA Marian Noone). The subject of each artwork is closely tied to the history and culture of the north Mayo heritage town.  
On one side of the street, a mural depicts huge glistening salmon – a fish synonymous with Foxford and the Moy. Here, Irish folklore’s Salmon of Knowledge is rendered against a background of symbols representing all the different kinds of knowledge available to us, from cultural to scientific, emotional to instinctual.
Fittingly, the wall is part of a building that once housed a local book shop where all manner of insight and knowledge could be discovered by the inquisitive reader.
“Foxford in Co Mayo is renowned all over the world for its salmon fishing on the beautiful river Moy,” explains Friz. “For this first wall I decided to transfer the Salmon of Knowledge (featured in a famous Irish legend) from its origins in the Boyne river to Foxford, due to the strong salmon-fishing ties, and also because the gable wall is on what was formerly Joyce’s bookshop, which used the Salmon of Knowledge as its logo.”
On the other side of the street – on a side wall of what was formerly Hennigan’s Pub but is soon to house new business The Old Salt Café – a majestic Irish goat gazes out regally, representing Foxford’s annual Goat Fair Day, which takes place in May each year. One of the oldest goat fairs in Europe, and Foxford is proud its fair is still going when so many others have died out.
The goat is surrounded by foxgloves, and sitting on one of its magnificent horns is another visual nod to folklore and heritage – a snipe. These birds are also known as ‘goats of the sky’, so called because they are said to have stolen the goat’s voice to defend their nests. As with most lore, it is rooted in fact: during display flights over their nesting territory, they make an eerie goat-like bleating sound with their stiff feathers, which vibrate as the bird flies in a roller-coaster pattern in the sky.
“The murals reflect our local flora, fauna and intertwine our folk stories into the works,” explains local musician Jamie Mulrooney, the brainchild behind the murals and head of the Foxford Wall Art Committee. “This will not only inspire the younger generation to engage in local community art initiatives but also give everyone who sees these pieces of art a clear sense of the cultural significance of our local flora and fauna as well as our folklore.”
The subject matter is as important as the artistry. While Foxford is world famous for its woollen mills, Jamie wants the world to know that there is more to his town, to give people another reason to visit, and to make sure it looks welcoming, vibrant and loved – somewhere visitors would like to spend some time hanging out and exploring.

Community effort
Foxford’s beautiful new murals are all thanks solely to a wholehearted community effort that saw local residents join together in a massive push to enhance their village’s appeal and encourage pride in the locality. Speaking to The Mayo News, Jamie was keen to thank all those who supported the initiative either financially or through good will. He said he was amazed how everyone came on board and ran with the idea. “It just takes a few people to start a fire,” he said, “it’s amazing what can be achieved when we work together.”  
At the root of it all is that sense of community and pride. “The objective of this project was to take two proposed locations that are the most visible to the public in our town and transform mundane spaces into something spectacular, that gives everyone in the local community and passers by a sense of pride of place. Crucially, the main outcome from this process was to give everyone a better sense of who we are and where we came from and what is important to us as a community.”  
After securing permission for the professional murals from a supportive Mayo County Council, Jamie knew the next move was to raise the money to make it happen. “To put it simply, we needed €7,000 to get this project over the line.”
Although an application for funds was lodged with the Arts Council, the committee is still waiting to hear if their application has been successful. In the interim, and in the absence of funds, they decided to take things into their own hands, and organised an online fundraiser via GoFundMe.
“We received overwhelming support from the local community, from people living here and all over the world … We have already raised over €7,500 through our GoFundMe page, and the fact that we reached this financial milestone so quickly enabled us to carry out the project within two months. It also reflects the hunger that people have to try and improve their local communities when given the opportunity,” Jamie said, adding that he remains hopeful that the Arts Council funds will be soon forthcoming.
“Small towns in rural areas have suffered economically in the past decade, and we would hope that we would be supported by the Arts Council so that we can carry out similar projects in the near future.”

Electric atmosphere
One of the top wall artists in the country, Friz was chosen for this project because the council and building owners were aware of the quality work in Ballina and across the country.
Another colourful example of Friz’s work can be seen on Teeling Street in Ballina, where the artist took up a two-month residency for the Ballina Fringe Festival 2019. Friz’s Ballina artwork – the TΡin Wall – shows ‘Flidhais of the beautiful soft hair’ with her cow, Maol. She also worked with local youth groups and the Ballina Men’s Shed, who subsequently created eye-catching murals of their own.
“We’ve been massively influenced by the great community spirit in Ballina over recent years,” Jamie admits. “Ballina has significantly changed for the better because of the works carried out by their local community groups … Many rural towns have been in decline since the mid 2000s, and we’ve now seen what artwork can do to transform and inspire.”
The project is already having a wonderful effect. It has really brought Foxford together, with everyone showing tremendous enthusiasm and appreciation for the artist and her vision. “The atmosphere while Friz was in town was electric,” Jamie says. “It’s something we haven’t felt here in a while.”
For him, one of the nicest aspects of the project was getting to meet other people living in his area who he had not known before, and seeing how everyone wanted to do their bit, whether it was through donations, practical support or simply offering encouragement.

Connection
While painting the murals, Friz was assisted by her husband, fellow Sligo native Gerry Norman. A guitarist and lead singer and songwriter for A Plastic Rose and Tour Alaska, he has spent many years touring with bands like Twenty One Pilots and Snow Patrol. The pair now live in Co Down, and by all accounts, they really enjoyed the time they spent in the pretty Mayo town, where they were embraced by the locals, who connected with them instantly.
The couple were generously given free accommodation by Pat Gaughan, and their dog Dexter was even given a special cut-price deal at the local ‘hotel for pooches’, Massbrook Boarding Kennels. SeΡn Mitchell gave them a great plant-hire price for the scissors lift, and Tom Gallagher and Chris McHugh worked hard to prepare both sites with a base coat, to ensure they were blank canvasses ready for Friz’s artistry. The Foxford Community Clean Up group was also on hand throughout the whole project, helping out wherever needed.
The sun shone for a socially distanced outdoor launch party in the town last Thursday, and several presentations were given to Friz and Gerry. Foxford Woollen Mills and Foxford Jewellery gifted beautiful keepsakes, while local jewellery maker Liz Courtie made them stunning pendants representing the murals.
Friz and Gerry were blown away by their experience. Speaking at the launch, Friz was fulsome in her praise for the can-do community spirit that made the project a reality. “I had never worked on a project that was community funded, so big round of applause to the people of Foxford,” she said, praising Jamie and the committee members, Andrea Clarke, Martina Boyle and Fineinn Quinn. Gerry added that the warm welcome meant a lot to them. “We never get treated like this, this is amazing – thank you so much!” he told the crowd – before vowing to return to Foxford again to see everyone.
The artist’s next project will be in Westport, and she has more lined up in Counties Wexford, Down, Cork and Louth. Gerry – used to life on the road as a musician – will be accompanying her.
Meanwhile, buoyed by the murals’ success, Jamie and the Foxford community are already planning more ways to enhance their town. To support them, visit www.gofund.me/0570136c or find the Foxford Wall Art Project page on Facebook, and take a spin to Foxford to see the al fresco artworks in all their glory.