Waterford artist unveils beach sculpture to encourage public to explore Ireland this summer

As tourism and hospitality businesses across Ireland begin to reopen, one artist draws a line in the sand after Ireland's pandemic year.  Picture: aerial.ie via Andres Poveda Photography

What's 120ft in height and wider than Dublin's Liberty Hall is tall? Sean Corcoran, a Waterford environmental artist who creates sand sculptures all across Ireland might be able to tell you. 

Measuring 200ft wide, this eye-catching sand artwork in Kilmurrin Cove in Co. Waterford was created by Mr Corcoran to rally the public to explore every corner of the country this summer as tourism returns. 

"I’ve been creating environmental artwork for many years, but after such a long time under restrictions it was wonderful to get out on my local beach again and do what I love," said Mr Corcoran, "I had my own little self-discovery today creating this very integrated piece, discovering different locations across the country as I drew them."

The aerial photography of a bespoke piece of sand artwork commissioned as part of a Fáilte Ireland ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign encourages the public to explore every corner of  Ireland this summer. Picture: aerial.ie via Andres Poveda Photography

Mr Corcoran said that he sought inspiration for the sand sculpture in his imagination but said he can't wait to experience the rest of Ireland again.  

"While it was nice to visit them in my head, I can’t wait to get out and experience all that Ireland has to offer in person this summer,” he said. 

Created entirely by hand with bamboo sticks and measured with the artist's eye, the artwork was commissioned by Fáilte Ireland as part of their summer tourism campaign, 'Keep Discovering'. 

At 11 stories in height, the sand sculpture took six hours to create and features many iconic symbols of Ireland's iconography. The beach sand had to be dried after several days of heavy rain by using a complex system of manmade drains to release water from the beach sand and redirect ground water out to sea. 

Mr Corcoran did this with a V shaped agricultural tool used for planting potatoes and other crops in order to reduce ground water and create the perfect conditions for the sand art.

The marketing campaign aims to drive domestic tourism this summer and rebuild Ireland’s tourism industry. 

The piece, over 120ft in length, is an illustration of the many hidden gems there are to uncover in Ireland and the joy of discovering them. Picture: aerial.ie via Andres Poveda Photography

Severely impacted by public health restrictions on international travel and socialising, the tourism and hospitality industry has struggled to recover from multiple lockdowns. 

Workers in the sectors have featured prominently in the figures claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) published by the Department of Social Protection. 

Pre-coronavirus, the tourism sector generated revenue of €7.5 bn annually and supported 260,000 jobs nationwide while contributing €1.7 bn to the exchequer.