Gull power: First installation on Cork's new sculpture trail unveiled 

Niamh McCann's piece on Carey's Lane is one of five contemporary sculptures that will be installed around Cork city in 2023 

 Niamh McCann at the installation of Setinels, her new sculpture on Carey’s Lane, the first piece in Cork's Urban Sculpture Trail.   Picture: Clare Keogh  

A 3D artwork that celebrates Cork’s unique heritage has been unveiled in the city centre as part of a brand-new Urban Sculpture Trail. ‘Sentinels’ by Irish artist Niamh McCann on Carey’s Lane is the first of five contemporary sculptures to be installed around the city this year.

Island City, Cork’s Urban Sculpture Trail is designed to enhance the city centre for locals and visitors by providing an experience that organisers say is "arresting, intriguing and playful while also illuminating the city’s heritage".

McCann says her piece is influenced by the architecture, geography, and incidental features along the length of Carey’s Lane. McCann works in three-dimensional work, painting/drawing and installation. With this piece, she wanted to get the true feeling of the city that holds a special place in her heart.

‘Sentinels’ is a nod to the old and the new – “from Cork City’s diverse and migratory history and its merchant and yachting tradition to its welcoming of new cultures and its urban adaptability”, she explains.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, with artist Niamh McCann at the installation of the  new sculpture on Carey’s Lane, Cork]. Picture: Clare Keogh

Speaking on the inspiration for the sculpture, McCann says: “I was thinking of Cork with this idea of an island city. An island within the city that’s within the greater island of Ireland and that being something that is very urban and yet is also a kind of a global idea connecting to culture and communities.”

 The artist started sketching out ideas and looking at maps of the city a year ago as she sought inspiration for the project and officially started on the production of ‘Sentinels’ five months ago.

McCann, who studied in MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, had “the urban fabric of Cork city” in her mind while also thinking of “ancient Gaelic heritages and how that might also fold in and welcome in newer cultures, newer thoughts and newer openings in terms of images and craft”.

She says she has a  fondness for Cork  and thinks of it has her home away from home, having spent formative years as a student and artist in the city.

“The piece is a simple image,” she continues. “There’s a seagull perched atop a neon strip, sentinel-like on either end of the lane and that is joined by a branch or a wood that snakes its way from one end to another and is held in place by red rope.” The red rope is a nod to the Rebel County and the connecting of the very old to the very new and the future.

A bird's eye view of Niamh McCann and her  sculpture on Carey’s Lane, Cork. Picture: Clare Keogh  

Fixed above head height, the sculpture is the length of Carey’s Lane and is made with low-impact, recyclable materials such as bronze and jesmonite. “It’s a piece that’s intimate and playful and yet is also kind of this anti-monumental scale,” McCann says. “It’s a very large scale, 120 meters, and yet because of it being horizontal, it doesn’t really look so monumental. It animates the lane by day and night.”

 Island City, which is a Cork City Council project funded by Fáilte Ireland, is the biggest ever single investment in public art in Cork city. The temporary art works will remain in place for a period of five years and aim to animate the city and its heritage with public art, adding to the visitor experience.

Four of the sculptures have already been commissioned after a competitive process, supported by the National Sculpture Factory, and the fifth will be chosen through an open call process, which will open in the coming weeks.

Michelle Carew, arts officer at Cork City Council, explained: “We underwent a robust selection process with an expert national and international panel in art and architecture, and the sculptures to be unveiled over the coming months place contemporary sculpture right at the heart of our public realm.”

 Jeff Safar Hamidi from Koto restaurant on Carey’s Lane, says they were thrilled to be involved with Cork City Council and Fáilte Ireland  for the  art installation. “This art piece will attract locals and tourists alike to pause, look up and appreciate the beauty and heritage of our streets.” “The joint effort of all involved is testament to the innovation and creativity that is pumped into our city every day making it a vibrant place to live, to visit and to enjoy. “

 Over the coming months the remaining four sculptures will be installed on the Exchange Building on Princes Street, Cook Street, the Coal Quay and Triskel Christchurch.