Artists wanted to paint the Marina 'hut' in Cork

There's a budget of €9,000 to paint a mural on this shelter on the Marina Promenade near the Atlantic Pond

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025 - 11:51

Caroline Delaney

Artists keen to make their mark on the newly redesigned and reopened Marina Promenade in Cork will be delighted to see that the Cork City Council is commissioning a mural.

The mural will be at the 'hut' or pavilion on the river side of the restored walkway near the Atlantic Pond.

The theme of the new artwork is "Celebrating the heritage of this historical pavilion and animating this new amenity, a promenade along the waterside."

And the concepts for the art are "highlighting nature, ecology, history of the locale, water sports (rowing club), flora and fauna of the area".

This commission is open to artists who are either resident in Cork city or are a member of a Cork City Studio / Collective and the Council says that this commission is suitable for artists who have a proven track record of delivering public realm mural work.

The pavilion is divided into two sections, with one facing the pathway and the other visible from the water.

The surface for the mural is painted brickwork, so any proposal must be suitable for the irregular surface. The roof has been newly restored and is not available for an artwork. The ground covering on the path-side of the shelter is newly installed and it is preferred not to paint this. The floor of the waterside of the shelter is available for painting.

The newly opened Marina promenade. Picture: Chani Anderson

The selected art will "celebrating the rich local heritage of this location, focusing on the beauty of this revitalised much-loved natural amenity area, and the diversity of plant and animal life". It will also focus on "river side activities and on Cork as a 'City of Welcomes' for all".

The Marina Promenade is approximately 1.8km in length and runs from the junction with Centre Park Road to the grotto at Blackrock village.

The Marina area was historically mud and marsh land. Through the 17th century economic prosperity in Cork resulted in increased internal trade and shipping. The navigation wall was completed in 1761 from what is now the Kennedy Quay area and ran to approximately the Atlantic Pond.

In 1856 the original rows of elm trees were planted. Then the Promenade was completed in 1870 and became know as ‘The Marina’. That name was given by Gaelic poet Donncha O’Flionn to mirror the name given to reclaimed land near Palermo, Sicily at that time.