Arts and Creativity Emily Sheehy reflects on Ireland’s roadside sculptures that filled long, cross-country road trips.
If you find yourself on a road trip through Ireland, or travelling on a motorway or national road, you will likely come across at least one sculpture on the side of the road. I was always fascinated by them as a child when my family and I would drive down to Tralee to see my relatives. They were little Easter eggs that broke the monotony of rolling green fields. I could gauge how far was left to go until Kerry by each piece of artwork we passed. Our roadside art is so important to our culture and is often overlooked on our daily journeys; it is this brush with artistry on our commutes that we take for granted.
They were little Easter eggs that broke the monotony of rolling green fields.
Many of these roadside sculptures were created as part of the ‘Percentage for Art’ scheme, introduced in 1993 by none other than President Michael D. Higgins, during his time as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. As part of this scheme, 1% of the budget of each major State construction project in Ireland is put towards the funding of new public artworks, commissioned and chosen by the local authority. A lot of the artworks are related to the area in which they are situated, acting as an advertisement for local tourism. Others draw on our history, myths and legends.
1% of the budget of each major State construction project in Ireland is put towards the funding of new public artworks, commissioned and chosen by the local authority.
I’m especially fond of ‘Architects of the Land’ by Colin Grehan, located on the Nenagh Bypass in Tipperary. It features two massive sculptures carved out of limestone on either side of the road. On one side there is a bull, and on the other there is a man pulling backwards. Driving through this game of tug-of-war, I always imagined a big invisible rope that would either snap or propel our car backwards. The artist describes the piece as being inspired by the agrarian history of North Tipperary and his mother’s farming lineage; the change from hunter-gatherers to domesticating animals and cultivating the land.
The ‘Beehive Huts’ are certainly inspired by Ireland’s ancient monastic settlements. On the Balbriggan bypass and Doon on the Portlaoise bypass, these collections of huts were created in a collaboration between Robert McColgan and Irene Brenner. Driving past the ‘Beehive Huts’ in Portlaoise as a child, I always wondered what kind of dwellers lived in these tiny stone huts with even tinier doors. The thought of little animals or even fantastical creatures having their own lives right next to this busy road fed my imagination.
The thought of little animals or even fantastical creatures having their own lives right next to this busy road fed my imagination.
Another piece that captures a sense of child-like wonder is ‘Tower of Imagination’ near Newry on the Dublin/Belfast A1, a 24ft sculpture created by Maurice Harron. The crooked tower features many tiny windows with colourful monsters and animals peering out of them, and two children beside the tower house, staring at passersby on the road.
Last but not least, we cannot talk about roadside sculptures without mentioning the Naas Ball. ‘Perpetual Motion’ or more commonly and affectionately known as the Naas Ball, is situated on the N7 outside Naas, Co. Kildare. It was designed by Remco De Fouw and Rachael Joynt in 1993, and is a giant, 9 metre diameter ball with road markings painted on it. It has been adopted by the people of Naas as a symbol of their town and is used on local social media accounts for Naas. What the Naas Ball represents for me, however, is the beginning of our road trip down south; a signal that Dublin was to our backs.
Thanks to President Higgins, we have so many artworks populating the side of our motorways and national roads. These are but a few of the artists who have benefitted from the ‘Percentage for Art’ scheme. These pieces are the ones which most ignited my imagination and added magic to many a long and monotonous journey.