A new iconic mural entitled ‘Borders’ has been created on Plantation road in Monaghan Town which invites the public to think about the borders in their lives. This new piece of street art is part of the Monaghan Murals project which is led by Monaghan County Museum. This mural has been developed in partnership with Monaghan Tidy Towns who are working towards the goal of Monaghan becoming the first biodiversity town in Ireland. Monaghan Murals continues to be funded by Creative Monaghan through the Creative Ireland programme. The mural would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of the wall’s owner Kieran McMahon Tyres. Monaghan Murals are excited to be once again working with world renowned Mural Artist, Friz.

Launching the new mural, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan Municipal District Cllr Cathy Bennett said ‘This beautiful new mural is a welcome addition to the streetscape of our town. It speaks to the cultural diversity and historical richness of our community and very much echoes the focus of our new Peace Campus facility which will transform the town and facilitate better relations at a local level through the exploration of our shared stories’.

 

Speaking about the mural, Monaghan County Museum Curator, Liam Bradley said ‘The mural is truly iconic as it explores the idea of the borders in our lives and invites the public to look at those lines just a little differently. Working with Monaghan Tidy Towns and world-famous mural artist Friz we were able to come up with a piece of public art that truly captures the experience of living on the border and living with the borders in our lives. The position of the mural right beside new Peace Campus facility is also important as it acts as an introduction to a public space whose core purpose is to bring communities together and reach across the borders in our society to embrace our shared experience of this incredible county.’

Mural artist Friz explained the vision for the piece by saying ‘A life is bordered by birth and death.

In this mural I’ve included younger and older people, each facing a different direction. Perched on their shoulders are migratory birds who travel to Ireland annually. The cuckoo, chiffchaff, Arctic tern and swallow. These birds symbolise the freedom of crossing borders, whilst everyone is still separate from each other. In the background are ivy, daisies, and daffodils. When thinking about the natural and manmade borders for this project my thoughts strayed to the flora and fauna who don’t experience the same constraints. A seed may wander wherever the wind or animal takes it. A bird is not constrained by mountains and rivers, nor vast oceans. Colours too can be kept separate but once the barriers between them are blurred they create new and varied shades. The broken line running through the piece is a distorted view of Monaghan’s border with Northern Ireland. The portraits themselves are not constrained by the border of the wall.’

Chair of Monaghan Tidy Towns, Emer Brennan spoke about how the mural reflects richness of the biodiversity in the border region and specially around Monaghan Town. ‘Monaghan Tidy Towns Committee is dedicated to making Monaghan Town a better place to live work and visit. The aims of Tidy Towns have become increasingly focussed on sustainability and the environment. We seek to make Monaghan Ireland’s first ‘Biodiversity Town’; however, we have found that although progress has been made, we need to be able to communicate more widely to the local community what we, and indeed the council, are doing, and why. This new mural is a highly impactful way of communicating that aim to the community we serve.’

Monaghan Murals will continue to work with Irish and international mural artists to create new murals throughout the five main towns in the county.

To find out more about the Monaghan Murals project go to www.monaghan.ie/museum/monaghan-murals

To learn more about the Peace Campus check out https://monaghan.ie/monaghan-peace-campus/