Kirstie’s mural brings Tír na nÓg to life in Carlow town
Artist Kirstie Maher pictured at the mural she created in the New Oak Community Centre, Carlow Photo: Michael O'Rourke Photography
ARTIST Kirstie Maher unveiled her latest mural of Oisín in Tír na nÓg, ‘the land of youth where nobody gets sick or grows old’, inside New Oak Community Centre last week.
The beautiful mural now mirrors the one on the outside of the centre depicting the elderly friends and a dog that Kirstie completed last year. The new mural is dedicated to the Untouchables youth group based in the centre.
“Growing up, Oisín in Tír na nÓg was always my favorite story and I have it drilled in my head as well. So I was just reciting the whole thing in Irish back to myself (as I was painting) like a little mantra,” said Kirstie.
She spent three to four weeks sketching and painting by hand and working one or two hours during the day when the centre wasn’t in use.
Curious children kept guessing about what would end up on the wall. “Throughout the project, there would always be curious little heads popping in, and I had one family from Romania and they were asking what does it represent. So I told them the story. They never heard of it, and then they started telling me about their folklore, and I just thought it was a nice experience to share between two cultures.
“Folklore is another passion of mine. I believe in another life I should have been a or something,” said Kirstie.
“Her talent is unreal,” said Sharon Parker, the manager of the community centre. “The children absolutely love it.”
Once the mural was complete, her and Kirstie told the children the story of Oisín and Tír na nÓg so that the children could understand the scene on the wall.
Sharon wanted to extend her gratitude to Carlow Community Development Partnership, which sponsored the mural. “It’s great to give local artists support,” she said.
