The Rusty Mackerel

THE STORY / IN CIARÁN’S WORDS

Start with the people and the place

I begin a commission by meeting the client and understanding their business: what matters to them, who comes through the door and what they hope the artwork might do for the place.

At the Rusty Mackerel, the aim was to catch the attention of people passing and give them a reason to notice the building. There was no fixed artistic brief. That freedom gave me an opening to explore my own love of Irish history, music, storytelling and interesting characters.

A wall that celebrates its community

I researched the musicians, storytellers and characters connected with the place, then brought them together in a large painted gathering. I wanted it to feel like a cultural portrait: something people could look at, recognise faces in and talk about.

For local people, the work offered the pleasure of seeing familiar figures celebrated on a monumental scale. For visitors, it offered a way into the character and stories of the place.

Art and business working together

In my experience of the project, people stopped to look at the mural and then discovered the pub and its food. The artwork became a reason to pause and explore, while giving the community something of its own to enjoy.

That is the balance I look for in a business commission: an artwork with cultural and human value that also helps the business make a connection with people. The idea grows from the particular client and setting, rather than arriving as a standard design.