New mural in Shercock - 'A talking point for our community'

Event this Friday to discuss the conceptualisation of the artists' works

Shercock Tidy Towns is celebrating the finalisation of a third mural and have invited the artists FRIZ and OMiN to discuss the conceptualisation of their works this Friday, June 6, from 7:30pm in St Patrick’s Hall, Shercock.

The most recent addition on the top of Fair Hill depicts a scene from the fair days in the early 20th century - two farmers sealing the deal over cattle with the traditional handshake.

Carol Smyth, secretary of Shercock Tidy Towns, is delighted the new mural has gained so much positive feedback from the locals: “This mural really resonates with a key group of our community, especially older men and in particular, a cohort of older farmers that don't see themselves presented in this way. I think it's a nice nod to that generation.”

Under the 2024 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Tidy Towns group was able to carry out a number of works in the town, including the installation of murals. The first one celebrates the beauty and biodiversity of Lough Sillan, the second one is of the archeological find ‘Ralaghan Idol’, which was discovered in a bog near Shercock.

For the third mural the group chose the artist OMiN, whose depiction of Patrick Kavanagh decorates a building on Main Street in Carrickmacross. The general idea behind the third mural was putting a modern interpretation on the town's heritage. After public consultations, the Dundalk based artist fleshed out the concept with the group and created the vibrant depiction of the village’s history.

According to Carol, the farm scene has definitely “injected liveliness around the fair hill and brought back a big talking point for our community”. Not only because of the farming aspect, but also the depiction of the singer Margaret Barry. She was a banjo player and part of the Traveller community.

According to a local’s recollection: “She wowed the crowds and also the local Garda at the monthly fair which took place in the town in 1946.” She was thus associated with the fair in Shercock for giving outstanding performances early in her career, before she went to join the folk scene in London and played with Bob Dylan in the US.

It is these and similar stories Carol hopes people will share with the community at the talk on Friday evening, which will start with the artists laying out their work process; how a scetch turns into a picture on the phone and then is thrown onto the building up to scale and how they drew inspiration from the history.

Shercock Tidy Towns want to capture the memories and the nostalgia. Stories that were never recorded, but are memorised by the people who lived through the time of the Fair on the Hill and heard a young woman play banjo at the corner. Carol believes all these stories are worthy of being heard, because "they enrich our culture so much by knowing them".