Originally published in print November 2020.
This past summer of ‘staycationing’ and travelling around Ireland has led me to become more familiar with the incredibly unremarkable network that is the Irish motorway system than I think is at all necessary. I did, however, become aware of something that I have always noticed, but never truly contemplated; there is a lot of public art along our roadways. Over 1,500 pieces, to be specific; an astounding amount, really, for a country that can be traversed from east to west in less than three hours. Along our major thoroughfares exists what is effectively a very, very widely spaced-out open air gallery; an ever-growing collection of public artworks for commuters and excursionists alike to regard and admire, though maybe not ponder for all that long.
Many of these pieces were conceived as part of the ‘Percent for Art’ scheme, which provides funding for public art features through the allocation of a small portion of each state-funded major construction project’s budget. And who do we have to thank for this wonderful scheme? None other than Michael D. Higgins. The scheme was first introduced in 1988, but it wasn’t until 1993 that it was actually implemented by Higgins, who was at the time Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht. Through this scheme, one percent of the cost of every new road built in Ireland (up to a cap of €64,000) is put towards the funding of public artworks, with local authorities commissioning the work and choosing the theme of each piece.
Even the briefest glimpse of one of these artworks can offer a good idea as to what the meaning behind the piece might be, and its significance to the area in which it resides. Many of these artworks feature symbols, mythological characters, and landscapes that are instantly recognisable, and that have great relevance within the context of their setting. A sculpture of a large violin made from corten steel that protrudes from the ground by a road in Longford, quite appropriately named ‘The Violin’, is a fairly overt reference to the musical heritage of the area, and a clever nod to the roadside ceilis of the past. Another well-known artwork is the Brown Bull of Cooley near Dundalk. It is fashioned from metal mesh and set on a concrete base, and it depicts the mythological brown bull of the early Irish epic Táin Bó Cuailnge. The sculpture’s location is notable, as it is not all that far from the story’s setting, the Cooley peninsula.
In fact, some of these artworks have such notoriety that it wouldn’t be wrong, really, to describe them as landmarks. One such piece, which is my own local motorway sculpture and perhaps the final boss of Irish roadside art, is ‘Perpetual Motion’, or Naas ball, as it has been affectionately dubbed. The significance of this artwork is so substantial to the people of Naas that the handle of the account on various social media that report on local happenings is @naasball. While this piece is very conceptual, and does not reference any particular local legend or emblem – possessing a love of road markings and gigantic ferrocement spheres is not unique to the people of Naas, Kildare – it is a meaningful work of art, and has taken on its own mythological status in the locality.
These works of art that flank the highways and byways of this nation are significant in making art more accessible in this country. Public artworks such as these are an invaluable asset to us all; they express local culture and promote community identity, and articulate a sense of the place in which they are located. Scattered all over the country, where weary travellers can appreciate them, and near smaller communities’ that may not have much access to art, this network of art bears great significance for the cultural heritage of Ireland, and is a truly wonderful resource.
