WATERFORD CITY AND WATERFORD WALLS

One Of My Favourite Cities

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I USED A LEICA Q3 TO RANDOMLY PHOTOGRAPH WATERFORD CITY IN AUGUST 2026

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Framing Waterford: Street Art and Urban Texture Through the Lens

When I travelled to Waterford in August 2026, my primary objective was documenting the city’s renowned street art scene — capturing everything from seasoned, weathered murals to fresh works still in progress. However, a fair critique emerged from my earlier work: by focusing purely on the artwork, I had abstracted the pieces from the very streets that anchor them, stripping away the character of the surrounding built environment.

To put the art back into perspective, I set out on the 12th of August with my Leica Q3 to photograph without a rigid itinerary. Moving spontaneously through the narrow alleys, historic stone quarters, and open quays, I focused on the dialogue between Waterford’s contemporary colour and its architectural fabric. Every photograph in this collection is fully geotagged, allowing you to trace the exact corners, alleyways, and streetscapes where these murals live.

Why Waterford is a Popular Tourist Attraction

Waterford is Ireland’s oldest recorded city, founded by the Vikings in 914 AD. Visitors are drawn by its compact, layered heritage, highlighted by the Viking Triangle — an atmospheric quarter housing Reginald’s Tower, medieval undercrofts, and the Bishop’s Palace. Beyond antiquity, the city is globally celebrated for Waterford Crystal, an internationally acclaimed hub for contemporary street art via the annual Waterford Walls festival, and the scenic Waterford Greenway, a 46-kilometre walking and cycling trail running along a disused railway line to the coastal town of Dungarvan.

The Evolving Triptych: Sillyme on Stephen Street

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The Evolving Triptych: Sillyme on Stephen Street

Documenting street art is inherently an exercise in negotiating transience, urban clutter, and fortunate timing. Photographic records from consecutive visits to Stephen Street during the Waterford Walls festival reveal how an entire wall became an evolving, multi-year canvas under the brush of Italian muralist Sillyme (Raffaele Muraca).

In August 2025, my camera captured Sillyme elevated on a stepladder at work on a central panel. On either side were two finished works: to her left, a monochrome figure bearing a banner reading Let Your Heart Blossom; to her right, a sweeping scene showing a child in aviator goggles alongside the colourful phrase Don’t Forget Your Inner Child. That day, she was busy drafting the middle section in striking greyscale—a surreal, whimsical figure riding a snail-like creature with a small birdhouse perched behind. Unfortunately, street-level realities intervened: a parked delivery van obstructed the pavement shortly after, preventing a clear, unobstructed shot of that finished monochrome iteration before the festival drew to a close.

Returning to Stephen Street in August 2026, my intention was to finally record that 2025 central piece cleanly in good daylight. Instead, the yellow ladder was already back in position, and Sillyme was once again on the wall. The monochrome snail was gone, actively being overpainted with an entirely new, brightly coloured work—an anthropomorphic, pink creature sporting green sleeves, topped by her signature aviator-capped protagonist resting beneath a warm yellow solar halo. Both flanking panels from 2025 remained perfectly preserved.

Curious about her timing, I asked when she had started. Her immediate reply was: “A year ago.”

While I initially wondered whether the answer was lost in translation, the wider photographic record confirmed her exact logic. She had not misunderstood at all. To Sillyme, this entire run of masonry is a living continuum rather than a set of disjointed commissions; the new piece was simply the next chapter of a conversation begun twelve months prior.

During our conversation, she was delightful to engage with. When I suggested describing her work as “Urban Expression”, she beamed with genuine delight and remarked that she intended to adopt the phrase. While the finished 2025 monochrome centrepiece may have eluded my lens, the photographic sequence across both years captures something far rarer: the dynamic, living rhythm of a street artist continually reimagining her own urban canvas.

Examples Of Waterford Walls Murals

Waterford Walls 2025 Locations

Ballybeg Park

  • EMIC – 157 Ballybeg Park

Mount Sion Avenue

  • KMG – Swans of Lir (No. 85)
  • MR. BLOB – Mount Sion Avenue

Stephen Street

  • Magda Karol – Stephen Street
  • Nickie Harrington – Stephen Street
  • Gabriela Joyce – Stephen Street

Thomas Street

  • Novice – Thomas Street
  • Omin – Thomas Street
  • PENS – Thomas Street

O’Connell Street

  • Nerone – O’Connell Street

Parnell Street

  • Blu Heron – Parnell Street

The Forum Hub

  • Kohneshia – The Forum Hub

Multi-Site & Citywide Installations

  • Dotmasters – 9 installations across Waterford City
  • Blackdoors – 5 installations across Waterford City

Waterford Walls 2024 (10th Anniversary Highlights)

O’Connell Cultural Quarter (O’Connell St / George’s St / Gladstone St)

  • Aches – Large-scale portrait / chromatic aberration piece (O’Connell St)
  • Curtis Hylton – Flora and fauna mural (Gladstone St)
  • Curtis Hylton & Shane O’Driscoll – Collaborative installation (George’s St)

The Glen / Ballybricken

  • Smug One – Photo-realistic character piece (The Glen)
  • KinMx – Mythological & botanical figure (Ballybricken)

The Apple Market / Railway Square

  • Zurik – Dynamic geometric lettering (Railway Square)
  • Dan Leo – Bold graphic wildlife illustration (Apple Market vicinity)

Millers Marsh / Waterside

  • Kitsune Jolene – Atmospheric portraiture (Waterside car park)
  • French & Mottershead – Site-responsive installation (Millers Marsh)

Waterford Walls 2023 Highlights

New Street / Apple Market

  • Rustam Qbic – Surreal narrative mural (New St Car Park)
  • Juliette Viode – Figurative piece (Apple Market lane)

O’Connell Street & Cultural Quarter

  • Anna Lina – Botanical & nature installation (O’Connell St)
  • Street Art Frankey – Playful micro-installations (Various Cultural Quarter spots)

Stephen Street / Mayor’s Walk

  • Peachzz – Wildlife and floral theme (Mayor’s Walk)
  • Garreth Joyce – Contemporary graphic mural (Stephen St)

The Mall / Waterfront

  • Signs of Power (Amime) – Typographic / lettering mural (The Mall)
  • Taquen – Minimalist nature study (Quayside approaches)

Waterford Walls 2022 Highlights

The Glen & Green Street

  • Mojo – Contemporary portrait (The Glen)
  • Lost Optics – Retro-futuristic abstract patterns (Green St)

Ballybricken

  • Sonny Sundancer – Large-scale endangered wildlife mural (Ballybricken Green)
  • James Earley – Stained-glass inspired abstraction (Bull Post area)

Barrack Street / Mount Sion

  • Mister Copy – Classical figurative study (Barrack St)
  • Shane Sutton – Spacer/astronaut series (Mount Sion area)

City Centre & Quays

  • Dan Kitchener (DANK) – Rainy night urban cityscape (Quayside)
  • Thinker – Abstract graphic mural (The Quay car park wall)

Geometric Snail Mural By Dan Leo – A Work In Progress 12 August 2026

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I used a Sony 7RVI with a Sony 24-105mm F4 lens.

It took me two days to locate this as the directions that i had been supplied with were incorrect and on the second day i came across the mural by accident. Unfortunately, the work was not completed before I returned to Dublin.

Artist: Dan Leo
Artwork: Geometric Snail Mural
Festival & Setting: Created for the Waterford Walls International Street Art Festival in Waterford, Ireland (located in the Farran Park / Outer Ring Road area).

The Artist and Their Work

Dan Leo is a prominent London-born, Ireland-based contemporary muralist and illustrator recognised as a staple of the Irish street art movement.
Signature Style: Leo’s visual language is deeply rooted in comic, graffiti, and graphic design traditions. His work is known for bold, heavy black contour line-work, sharp geometric divisions, and hyper-saturated, contrasting colour palettes.

Subject Matter: Wildlife and nature dominate Leo’s oeuvre. He frequently depicts animals—ranging from urban foxes, tropical birds, and cats to smaller fauna like this snail—reinterpreting organic forms through rigid facets, angular planes, and graphic patterns.

Interaction with Architecture: In this piece, Leo cleverly incorporates the residential structure’s architectural elements directly into the composition. The central second-floor window forms the core spiral axis of the snail’s shell, blending physical building infrastructure with flat, two-dimensional geometric abstraction.

THE WATERFORD NORTH QUAYS URBAN REGENERATION PROJECT FIRST PHOTOGRAPHED 2018

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ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY WILLIAM MURPHY

I first explored the area in 2018 and in August 2024 I revisited the are as I had hoped that the project would be close to completion and I encountered some difficulty as pedestrian access on the river side of the road was limited or impossible or dangerous because of traffic flow. This series of photographs is from the 2018 visit but expect the 2025 collection within two or three days.

The first visit to Dock Road, Fountain Street, and Ferry Bank took place in 2018. It wasn’t realised at the time that Ferry Bank is actually in County Kilkenny, not Waterford. During the visit, a lot of demolition and construction was in progress. Unfortunately, in an attempt to compensate for the extreme sunlight, most of the images captured were underexposed and couldn’t be properly processed until now.

Analysing the Waterford North Quays Urban Regeneration Project: 2018-2025

The Waterford North Quays Urban Regeneration Project is a large-scale, transformative initiative designed to expand and revitalise the city centre. The observation of the area in August 2025 as a “massive construction site” is accurate, but the conclusion that the project should have been completed by now is based on an initial timeline that proved unachievable due to a confluence of complex factors. The project, as it was conceived in 2018, was not a simple construction endeavour but a comprehensive master plan, designated as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ), intended to be an enabling framework for a new city quarter.

The delays encountered are a direct consequence of the project’s inherent complexity, including the intricate alignment of public infrastructure with a separate private development, unforeseen engineering challenges—most notably the need for extensive flood defence works—and financial and procurement issues that resulted from over 110 redesign variations. Furthermore, external events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly prolonged the original programme. While the project has faced considerable challenges, it is not stalled. As of August 2025, it is in a highly active and visible phase of construction, with the physical presence of the new sustainable transport bridge and the commencement of major rail and flood defence works serving as tangible proof of progress on a revised, but now well-defined, timeline.

The Vision of 2018: A Catalyst for a Regional City

In 2018, the area comprising Dock Road, Fountain Street, and Ferry Bank was a derelict former industrial and shipping site. For two decades, this 65,000 square metre site along the banks of the River Suir had been unused, consisting of old warehouses and industrial buildings that overlooked Waterford’s historic city centre. This state of disuse provided the impetus for a grand vision of urban renewal.

In February 2018, the Waterford City and County Council, following a period of statutory consultation, officially made the Waterford North Quays Planning Scheme. This plan was not a blueprint for a single building but a holistic framework for the entire brownfield site. The overarching vision for the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) was to create a “sustainable, compact extension to the City Centre” that could accommodate a future population of 83,000 people and serve as a regeneration catalyst for the entire Waterford City Region. This foundational perspective is crucial to understanding the project’s scale and timeline. It was conceived as an enabling works contract, laying the necessary public groundwork—including new roads, bridges, and transport facilities—to facilitate a much larger private development. The project’s vision of a new train station and bridge touches on only two components of a far more ambitious, strategic plan for regional growth.

The core of the 2018 public infrastructure proposals included several key elements. First, a new integrated multi-modal transport hub was planned to replace the existing Plunkett Train Station. This was envisioned as a modern, multifunctional gateway building with rail platforms, a new bus set-down area, and improved connectivity. Second, a new sustainable transport bridge was proposed to serve pedestrians, cyclists, and a shuttle bus. This bridge was designed to connect the city from the South Quays to the new North Quays SDZ, providing a critical new north-south linkage over the river. Finally, the plan included significant improvements to city centre access routes and the provision of a new link between Belmont and Abbey Roads. These projects were part of a successful application to the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and were planned to precede the private development, which at the time was to be led by Falcon Real Estate Development Ireland and included plans for 298 residential apartments, a 200-room hotel, and 15,000 square metres of office space. The total combined investment was estimated to exceed €500 million, with the public infrastructure acting as leverage for the private sector development.

Project Evolution and Scope Revisions

The path from the initial 2018 master plan to the current state of construction has been marked by significant evolution and scope revisions. The public infrastructure project was always intended to be developed ahead of the private SDZ development. This was a deliberate strategy to ensure the necessary enabling works were in place to de-risk the overall project for private investment. This phased model became particularly critical as the private development proposals changed. The initial plans involving Falcon Real Estate gave way to a new first phase granted to Harcourt Developments (t/a Hopcast Limited) in April 2025, which includes a revised plan for 350 residential units and two hotels. The public works had to be responsive to these evolving private proposals to ensure the two developments would be fully integrated and compatible upon completion.

The scope of the public works themselves also underwent major changes. A key example is the “Part 8 development,” which was required to address design alterations, such as the provision of a southern entrance to the new transport hub. The most significant, and costly, scope revision was the need for extensive flood defence works. Initially, the project had to address a “flood defence issue right across the board,” not just in the immediate vicinity of the site. This led to a multi-million-euro scheme to install a 1.1km flood defence system to make the rail line “climate-resilient” and protect both the new and existing stations from recurring flooding.

This continuous need for adaptability and revision is a central reason for the project’s protracted timeline. The challenge of managing a large-scale public-private regeneration initiative is compounded by the fact that the two components are interconnected but separately managed. The requirement for the public infrastructure to be “responsive to evolving progress” and to “deal with the changes as they’ve come up” created a cascade of redesigns. A statutory audit report cited “over 110 redesign variations” as a primary reason for the project’s financial overruns. This cascade of changes made it impossible to execute the work on a fixed tender. Instead, a significant portion of the work was undertaken at hourly rates, leading to a tripling of consultant fees to over €24 million, which prompted the council to seek legal advice to ensure procurement compliance. The observed delays are not a simple matter of mismanagement but a symptom of the inherent complexity of integrating multiple, large-scale developments within a constantly changing and challenging environment. The focus has been on “de-risking the overall project in terms of cost and programme,” which has necessarily prolonged the timeline.

Analysis of Project Delays and Associated Challenges

The project was initially conceived with an ambitious four-year timeline. However, as the Director of Services for Economic Development stated, this timeline was made “completely unachievable” by a combination of “circumstances, including COVID.” This acknowledgment of external, uncontrollable factors is critical to understanding why the initial timeline was abandoned.

The financial and procurement complexities represent a major cause of the prolonged schedule. A statutory local government auditor’s report from January 2025 highlighted the significant overspend on consultants, noting that fees had almost tripled from an original tender estimate of €6.7 million to “just over €24 million.” The primary causes for this were the “over 110 redesign variations” and the “prolongation of the original tender period.” While the project has experienced these additional costs, the Council has stated that it has “prudently managed the risk and contingency budget” and that for a project of this scale and complexity, such cost increases due to changes in scope and design are not uncommon.

Beyond the financial and administrative hurdles, the project has faced significant engineering and environmental obstacles. The most prominent of these is the major flood defence scheme. This project, which was not part of the initial plan, involves the installation of a 1.1km flood defence system, utilising sheet piled walls up to 25 metres in height and an extensive drainage network with two pumping stations. These works, which require the use of two large barges and a piling rig operating from the River Suir, have been cited as a primary reason for the temporary disruption to rail services, which will occur from late August 2025 to early 2026. The need to address this unforeseen environmental issue has a direct bearing on the project’s overall timeline.

My perception of the area as a “massive construction site” in August 2025 is a visual paradox. What may appear to be stagnation is, in fact, the physical manifestation of a project moving forward at its most complex and intensive phase. The project’s delays occurred primarily in the planning, financing, and procurement stages in the years preceding the visit. By August 2025, the project has entered a new phase of accelerated physical construction. The presence of the sustainable transport bridge’s superstructure, the start of major flood defence works, and the realignment of key roads are all signs of a highly active and coordinated effort. The visible disarray is not an indicator of failure but of a necessary and dynamic phase of a project finally moving from the drawing board to full-scale execution.

The North Quays in August 2025: A Detailed Status Report

As of the visit in August 2025, the Waterford North Quays site is indeed an intense hub of activity. The most dramatic and visible progress has been on the sustainable transport bridge. The steel superstructure for the bridge, fabricated in Belgium, was delivered in four sections via sea-going barges in May 2025. Its spectacular installation, which involved the lifting and positioning of the four spans by the towering HEBO 9 floating crane over the course of a week in May, was a significant engineering feat and a major milestone for the project. While the bridge deck is now fully installed, the project is not yet complete. A “first test lift” of the central bascule leaves has been conducted to allow river traffic to pass, but the bridge is still undergoing “commissioning and testing” and is not yet open to the public.

Progress on the new transport hub is also well underway. Internal fit-out, as well as mechanical and electrical installation, is progressing, and works to the platforms and rail track are continuing. A key and highly disruptive element of this phase is the commencement of major flood prevention works in late August 2025. These works, which will require the closure of the rail line to facilitate the installation of sheet piles, will cause some off-peak rail service alterations on the Dublin-Waterford line from Monday to Thursday until early 2026.

In terms of road infrastructure in Ferrybank, the works on the realigned Abbey Road and Dock Road are nearing completion. Abbey Road was due to be finished in July 2025, and Dock Road is scheduled for completion in October 2025. The realignment of Abbey Road will deliver a new section of road with increased capacity, while the original footprint will be repurposed as a cycle and pedestrian-friendly local road.

Future Outlook and Strategic Insights

The current state of construction and the project’s clear forward momentum provide a reliable basis for a revised timeline. The transport hub is now expected to be fully complete by the second quarter of 2026, with Irish Rail planning for its final commissioning and opening in early 2027. The new sustainable transport bridge is projected to be open to the public in the fourth quarter of 2026, following the completion of its integration with the wider Strategic Development Zone.

The project’s strategic importance extends far beyond these infrastructure elements. In April 2025, Waterford City and County Council granted planning permission for the first phase of the private development to Harcourt Developments, a major step forward for the project. This phase is set to deliver 350 residential units, a 160-bedroom hotel, a 163-room aparthotel, office accommodation, and retail units. This private investment is anticipated to exceed €350 million and is projected to create over 1,500 jobs following its completion.

The project’s long-term value outweighs the short-term frustrations of its prolonged timeline and visible disruption. The delays were not a sign of failure but were necessary to ensure a properly integrated and viable new city quarter. The public infrastructure was designed to be developed ahead of the private development and to be “responsive to evolving progress… to de-risk the overall project in terms of cost and programme.” This patient and methodical approach to managing a project of this scale has secured the long-term strategic benefits for the city. The project aligns with the government’s National Planning Framework to make Waterford a “Regional City of Scale” by enhancing regional accessibility, encouraging sustainable mobility, and transforming a derelict site into a vibrant urban extension. The visible construction in August 2025 is the unavoidable but necessary result of a highly complex and integrated urban regeneration initiative finally moving forward at pace.

Conclusion

The observations of the Waterford North Quays, Fountain Street, and Ferry Bank in August 2025 are a clear and accurate reflection of the state of a highly complex urban regeneration project. The area’s status as a “massive construction site” is not an indication of a project that has stalled, but rather of one that has moved into its most intensive and visible phase of construction after navigating years of planning, financial, and logistical challenges.

The initial, optimistic four-year timeline from 2018 was rendered unachievable by a combination of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a change in the private development consortium, and significant unforeseen engineering requirements, such as the major flood defence scheme. These elements led to a prolonged design and procurement period, resulting in over 110 redesign variations and an increase in consultant fees.

However, the project is now advancing with clear and defined timelines. The spectacular installation of the sustainable transport bridge’s superstructure in May 2025, and the commencement of critical flood defence works in August 2025, serve as tangible evidence of this progress. The project is a long-term strategic investment, with its public infrastructure elements—the transport hub and the sustainable transport bridge—expected to be completed and operational in late 2026 and early 2027, respectively. The current construction is a necessary and temporary phase that will ultimately deliver a new, sustainable city quarter, realising the long-term vision of a revitalised Waterford.

FLOWERS ON THE STREET MURAL BY LULA GROCE I PHOTOGRAPHED IT AGAIN IN JULY 2018 AND REMASTERED THE IMAGES IN 2025

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I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph this almost as soon as it had been completed but for a variety of reasons my photographs were not as good as they could have been because I used a 15mm F4.5 super-wide-angle lens which resulted in an unacceptable level of distortion which I could not correct for at the time. In July 2018 I photographed it again and reprocessed the photographs in August 2925 as I had come across more information about the artist and her work. In August 2025 I was able to photograph day by day the creation of a replacement Mural by French artist Nerone and this time my equipment was much more suitable for the task.

From Galicia to the Walls: The Artistic Journey of Lula Goce

The story begins with the original mural’s creator, Lula Goce. A Spanish artist with a distinctive path, her work is uniquely informed by her formal academic background and a profound connection to the natural world. Born in Galicia, Spain, her early life was shaped by the “salty coastal air, barnacles, drizzle and the beautiful beaches” of the region. This influence is deeply woven into her artistic identity.

Goce’s journey is notable for its rigorous academic foundation. She graduated in fine arts with a specialisation in painting from Salamanca and continued her advanced studies in Barcelona, earning both a Master’s and a PhD in artistic creation. This extensive training set her apart, blurring the lines between the conventional art world and the dynamic urban environment. Her move from the structured gallery setting to the street was, in her own words, a “revelation”. She found a profound appeal in the direct interaction with the public and the “muscularity” required to create large-scale public pieces.

Her style is characterised by “powerfully evocative and huge photorealistic scenes” that employ bright colours and a strong expressiveness. A recurring motif is the integration of people and nature, a thematic choice that adds a poetic and inspiring dimension to her creations.

Flowers on O’Connell Street

Lula Goce’s contribution to the 2017 Waterford Walls Festival was a significant addition to the city’s burgeoning outdoor gallery. Titled “Flowers on O’Connell Street,” the mural was painted on a prominent location at the rear of Dooley’s Hotel. The creation of this artwork took place during the festival’s third and largest year, which featured 40 artists from five continents. Goce’s process was notably challenging due to persistent heavy rain. An interesting detail is her use of durable emulsion house paint, designed to last for a decade or more. The fact that the mural would eventually be replaced, despite the use of a long-lasting material, is a crucial point that highlights the festival’s overarching philosophy.

Navigating the Urban Canvas: A Street Photographer’s Guide to Waterford Walls

On a recent visit to the vibrant Waterford Walls festival, I was struck by a thought that goes beyond the art itself: the technical challenges artists face in a place like Ireland. As a street photographer who’s had to cut short trips to Waterford because of the unpredictable weather, I have a healthy respect for the Irish climate. This year, with near-perfect conditions, I was able to spend time observing the artists at work and learnt about the often-unseen problems they encounter.

This post delves into the complex relationship between art, materials, and the environment at Ireland’s largest street art festival. My observations, fuelled by conversations with some of the artists, highlight how a successful mural is not just a matter of creative vision, but also of meticulous preparation and a deep understanding of practical challenges.

The Walls of Waterford: A Mosaic of Challenges

Waterford’s walls are far from a uniform canvas. They tell a story of architectural history, from ancient medieval stonework to the modern facades of homes and businesses. The festival’s focus on revitalising “run-down areas” means artists must be ready for anything, especially difficult surfaces they may have never worked with before.

The Problem of Pebbledash

One of the most challenging surfaces artists face is pebbledash. This unique render, with its embedded stones, is notoriously difficult to paint. Industry experts describe it as one of the most problematic surfaces. The stones are a hazard in themselves, as loose ones can “flick off” during painting, creating a mess and leaving gaps.

Furthermore, pebbledash is highly porous. It can “absorb paint as it dries and over time,” meaning artists need to use significantly more paint and must be careful to avoid an uneven finish. The rough texture and age of these surfaces also make them prone to dirt, algae, and dampness, all of which can prevent the paint from sticking properly.

Preparation as a Critical First Step

To ensure a mural endures on a difficult surface, preparation is non-negotiable. It’s a multi-stage process that must be followed with precision:

Cleaning: The wall must be completely free of contaminants. This involves using a stiff sweeping brush and a fungicidal wash to remove any algae, moss, and dirt. It’s crucial to let the wall dry completely before painting to prevent moisture from being trapped.

Repair: Any cracks, holes, or gaps must be filled with an exterior filler to create a uniform base for the art.

Priming: For unpainted or difficult surfaces, a primer is essential. This step ensures the final paint adheres properly and also reduces the wall’s absorbency, saving on material costs in the long run.

The historical and economic context of Waterford means that the walls artists are given are often far from a clean canvas. The preparation phase, therefore, becomes a live demonstration of how to expertly rehabilitate these challenging urban spaces. It’s a testament to the fact that the artists’ job is part technical expert, part creative genius.

The Artist’s Palette: Choosing the Right Paint

The choice of paint is a crucial strategic decision that balances artistic goals with practical demands. The two main options for murals are spray paint and durable emulsion or masonry paint.

The Spray Paint Conundrum

Spray paint is a popular choice for street artists, allowing for crisp lines, smooth gradients, and a uniform finish. However, a major issue is overspray. Wind can carry fine droplets of paint “quite a distance,” posing a risk to nearby objects and parked cars—a well-founded concern.

To combat this, professional muralists use several mitigation techniques:

Logistical Measures: The most effective defence is thorough masking. This involves “tarping the living hell out of things” and using barriers to create a protected zone around the work area.

Technical Adjustments: Experts also make on-site adjustments to their equipment, using a “small pump on a fairly low pressure” and holding the spray gun “real close (6-8 inches off wall)” to minimise the spread of paint.

The Shift to Durability: The Case of Lula Goce

The story of Spanish artist Lula Goce, who famously had to deal with a hurricane hitting Waterford in 2017, provides a perfect example of a professional adapting to the climate. Reports indicate her emulsion house paint was “running off the walls as a result of the heavy rains,” forcing her to fashion a makeshift poncho to continue working.

While spray paint offers speed and precision, using a durable exterior masonry paint is a sound decision for creating permanent public art in a humid, rainy environment. This type of paint offers distinct advantages:

Longevity and Weather Resistance: High-quality exterior emulsion paint is engineered to withstand extreme weather and temperature fluctuations.

Breathability: For a surface like pebbledash, breathability is a significant advantage. Formulated with silicone, this paint prevents external moisture from entering the wall while allowing trapped water vapour to escape. This prevents the paint from blistering or flaking, which is a common problem with non-breathable paints.

Ultimately, the choice between spray paint and durable emulsion highlights a key trade-off: speed and precision versus long-term durability and resistance to the elements.

A Race Against the Elements: Weather and Time

The creation of an outdoor mural in Ireland is a constant race against the weather. An artist’s decision to halt their work, as was reportedly the case with artists ADOR and SHUK, is a reflection of professional judgement that prioritises the integrity of the art over a fixed timeline.

The Irish climate is a primary project constraint:

Rainfall: Direct rain can wash away wet paint, leading to streaks and uneven coverage. Painting on a damp surface can also trap moisture, hindering adhesion and causing long-term peeling.

Humidity: High humidity slows down the drying time of water-based paints, increasing the risk of drips and streaks.

Temperature: Paint can dry too quickly in high temperatures, leading to an uneven finish, while cold temperatures can prevent proper adhesion.

A key rule for all outdoor painting is to plan for a multi-day dry weather window. The festival’s tight ten-day schedule adds immense pressure, creating a tension between a fixed project timeline and the unpredictable nature of the work. The decision not to sign a piece that has been compromised by the weather is an act of professional integrity. An artist’s name is a guarantee of quality, and they may choose to withhold their signature rather than endorse a piece that doesn’t meet their standards.

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