Artist Peter Martin just completed a breathtaking new mural in the rural village of Kilmurry
The finished piece is a real stunner.
Cork artist Peter Martin has completed a large-scale mural at The Independence Museum in Kilmurry village, near Dripsey.
The piece, supported by the Cork County Council Arts Grant 2021, is inspired both by the River Lee and the abstract qualities of the embroidered pattern used on the early 20th century Dun Emer Guild dress in the Museum’s collection.
“The pattern is skillfully integrated with the unfolding landscape of the Lee Valley, woven organically through field boundaries and hedgerows and into the distance,” explained Museum chairman Aidan O’Sullivan.
“In effect, landscape and pattern become one; creating a fluid rhythm that is not only true to the nature of the River Lee itself but also speaks to an idea of greater unity.”
A textual element, ‘The Beauty of The World is the Heritage of All’, is taken from a line in the writings of Terence MacSwiney.
“Just as Martin has imaginatively re-interpreted the visual language of the Gaelic Revival through a contemporary idiom”, says Aodhán Rilke Floyd, one of the museum’s curators, “so the words of the mural’s message gain new meaning in the context of the interlinked concerns of global citizenship and environmental stewardship.”
The museum, which tells the story of Ireland’s independence, enjoys a sweeping view across the Lee Valley to the Derrynasaggart and Boggeragh mountains. It’s open to visitors Thursday-Sunday from 2pm- 5pm. The courtyard area is fully accessible and free to the public.
