You can’t miss it.

An enormous mural dedicated to the late local legend and poet Desmond O’Grady now takes pride of place on the gable wall of The Spaniard pub in Kinsale.

The stunning piece, created by visual artist Ominous Omin (aka Barry Finnegan) will be officially unveiled this evening as part of the Kinsale Arts Festival.

The new look Spaniard in kinsale looks lovely. pic.twitter.com/i7fPZSLoFo

— Kevin (@kevinmartin1954) July 8, 2021

The colourful artwork depicts O’Grady, who settled in Kinsale in the 1980s and was a regular visitor to The Spaniard, peering into a book, set against a background of ship masts and blue skies.

O’Grady passed away on August 25th, 2014 at the age of 78, with President Michael D Higgins leading tributes to the Limerick-born member of Aosdána, describing him as one of Ireland’s best-known poets.

Commenting on an image of the mural on the Kinsale Notice Board Facebook page, local Mark Connolly shared a fun memory of the musch-loved local character:

“Desmond always called The Spaniard corner the ‘cape of no hope’ as the was no hope of going around it without having a few pints.”