New posters showing portrait of Grace O'Sullivan displayed across Cork City 

The new poster is now hung up across Cork City and was painted by local artist Yvonne Condon

MEP Grace O’Sullivan and artist Yvonne Condon with a new election poster using the portrait. Picture: Oscar O'Connor

Ireland South MEP Grace O'Sullivan has unveiled a new election poster created by a local Cork artist. 

The new poster has been erected across Cork City and was painted by local artist Yvonne Condon. It was created when the MEP visited the Crawford Supported Studios to have her portraits painted in February. 

The Crawford Supported Studies is a group of disabled artists who are supported in their art practice by the Crawford Art Gallery and MTU Crawford College of Art and Design.

MEP Grace O’Sullivan and artist Yvonne Condon with Ms O'Sullivan’s original election poster and a new election poster using Ms Condon’s portrait of Ms O'Sullivan. Picture: Oscar O'Connor

The visit was part of a week-long tour of Ireland alongside MEP Katrin Langensiepen — the only woman in the European Parliament with a visible disability. 

In a statement, a spokeperson said Ms O'Sullivan and Ms Langensiepen met with people with disabilities and disability groups to "discuss all things access and inclusion".

"This trip served to inform their policy-making in the European Parliament," it said. 

The statement added the painting, which was transformed into an election poster, can "now be seen on lamposts all around Cork City" ahead of the elections. 

Ms O'Sullivan said she wanted to use Ms Condon's work to promote advocacy for a social model for disability as well as disability rights. 

As a member of the European Parliament’s Disability Intergroup, and a carer for her own daughter, disability rights have played a large role in Ms O’Sullivan’s parliamentary work to date, particularly advocacy for a social model of disability.