‘Égalité, fraternité, cupán tae!’

A brand new mural has completely transformed a dull wall in Cork City Centre… and it’s got a distinctly French flavour.

The fun artwork on Carey’s Lane celebrates elements of the French Huguenot Quarter in Cork City.

Created by local graphic artist Garreth Joyce, the vibrant piece surrounds two electricity cabinets, turning a boring, functional part of town into a celebration of culture and art.

French Protestants who settled on Leeside having fled from religious persecution during the seventeenth century, the Huguenots established a church and graveyard in Cork, located between the modern-day French Church Street and Carey’s Lane.

Though the community was quite small, barely more than 300 people, many Huguenots went on to do quite well in Cork, achieving positions of power in local politics and business.

Joseph and William Lavitt, after whom Lavitt’s Quay is named, were just two of eleven members  to serve as mayor of Cork.

Popular Huguenot names that remain prevalent in Cork include Lavit, Godsell, Hardy and Delacour.