Waterford Walls

PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2017

My 2017 visit to Waterford did not go well because of the weather and as my Sony A7RII camera was not weather proof I abandoned the visit after the second day.

It has taken me until August 2025 to establish the identity of the artists responsible for the 2017, layer two, mural shown in this series of photographs.

A Chronicle in Layers: The Palimpsest of a Waterford Wall

The Living Canvas of Little Patrick Street

The urban landscape, especially in a city as historically rich as Waterford, is rarely static. Instead, it is a living document, a canvas on which successive generations have inscribed their histories, memories, and aspirations. The term “palimpsest”, originally used to describe a manuscript where new writing is superimposed on earlier, erased texts, serves as a powerful metaphor for this phenomenon. The back wall of the Book Centre in the car park at 1 Little Patrick Street is a quintessential example of such a cultural palimpsest. It is not merely a piece of architecture but a site of evolving public expression, a micro-history of Waterford’s broader journey of urban and artistic regeneration.

This journey began in 2015, after a period of economic hardship when Waterford was still recovering from a financial crash. A small, grassroots voluntary group, which would later become The Walls Project, took on the ambitious challenge of revitalising neglected buildings and facades with large-scale mural art. The initiative was a deliberate strategy to inject colour, life, and joy back into the city’s heart, an effort that has since grown into the largest national and international street art festival in Ireland. The wall in question, a prominent feature of the city’s urban fabric, has served as a silent witness and active participant in this transformation, bearing three distinct layers of artistic expression. This article documents this history, guided by photographic records and observations that provided the foundation for this investigation.

Timeline of the Wall’s Artistry

The wall’s art has evolved through three distinct periods. Here is a chronological overview of these layers:

Layer 1 (Pre-2017): An unofficial community tribute to a local figure known as “The Birdman”.

Layer 2 (2017): An official collaboration by artists ADOR and SHUK for the Waterford Walls Festival 2017.

Layer 3 (2021): The current mural by the artist duo Maker & Land for the Waterford Walls Festival 2021.

Layer One: The Mythos of “The Birdman”

Before the 2017 mural, the wall was reportedly home to a tribute to a beloved local figure known as “The Birdman”. This artwork is an element of local folklore and community memory, a claim confirmed by research into local forums. A discussion on a Waterford Reddit page explicitly identifies “The Birdman” as Paddy Flynn, a man remembered for his deep affection for pigeons. This confirmation establishes the mural’s significance as a genuine, community-led act of remembrance rooted in the city’s social history.

It is important to distinguish this local legend from other, more globally recognised figures who share the moniker, most prominently Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz”. The tribute to Paddy Flynn was a uniquely Waterford story, not a reflection of a wider, external narrative.

No details on the artist or the exact date of the mural’s creation exist in formal records. This absence of documentation is a defining characteristic of the artwork; its history exists in the collective memory of the community, passed down through anecdotal accounts and informal online discussions. This stands in stark contrast to the subsequent murals that occupied the same space, which were meticulously planned, curated, and recorded as part of an official festival. This transition from an anonymous, grassroots act of remembrance to a professionalised, documented public art form reflects a fundamental shift in Waterford’s cultural landscape.

It is also vital to avoid conflating this exterior mural with other artworks on the Book Centre property. A comment on a local forum mentions a mural by artist Ben Hennessy within the Book Centre’s cafe. This mural, however, is an interior work and should not be confused with the exterior wall, which is the focus of this article. This careful distinction ensures the historical record remains unblemished by inaccuracies and reinforces the exterior wall’s unique legacy as a site of ephemeral, evolving art.

Layer Two: The Ephemeral Collaboration of 2017

My photographs from 2017 provide a valuable and detailed visual record of the wall’s second artistic iteration. A close examination of these images reveals a collaboration between two distinct styles. The right side of the wall features a large, surrealist portrait of a woman with a melancholic expression, her hair intertwined with foliage, and a large, disembodied hand gesturing beside her. The left side, by contrast, is a photorealistic portrait of a woman in stark blue tones, her hair styled in an intricate coiffure, with a single white rose adorning it.

Based on an analysis of information from the time, the artists can be identified as ADOR and SHUK. A blog post from September 2017, documenting the Waterford Walls Festival, mentions both artists’ presence and their respective origins: ADOR from France and SHUK from Ireland. The work, while appearing as an ad-hoc collaboration between friends, was an official part of the 2017 Waterford Walls Festival, a structured event that meticulously plans and organises its art installations.

A compelling aspect of this mural’s story is that it was reportedly never signed due to rain damage. This is powerfully corroborated by multiple sources from the time. Blog posts from the 2017 festival repeatedly lament the “horrible weather” and “torrential rains” that plagued the event. This weather presented significant challenges, particularly for artists from “dry countries”, causing paint to drip and leaving many large-scale works “unfinished”. An artist may not wish to claim a piece they consider incomplete or compromised by external factors.

This instance highlights the inherently temporary nature of street art, a theme reiterated by a festival attendee who noted that such works “won’t live long” and that some were already gone due to building sales or repainting. Photographic documentation, therefore, is not merely a collection of pictures but a crucial record of a transient cultural moment. It provides a permanent archive of an artwork that was not meant to last, preserving its existence in a way that the physical form could not.

Layer Three: The Legacy of Maker & Land

The third and most recent layer of the wall’s history began in 2021 when the 2017 mural was replaced by a new work by the Spanish artist duo Maker & Land. The festival, in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes Dublin, invited the duo to participate in the 2021 festival. A street art database corroborates the location at 1 Little Patrick Street and the creation date of 19th August 2021. This provides a definitive timeline for the wall’s most recent artistic transformation, a critical point in the wall’s chronology.

While the specific title of this mural is not mentioned in the research, the artists’ style is described as a fusion of “ethnography with daily life items and objects, creating unique images with different readings according to the interpretation of each person”. This description offers an expert interpretation of the work’s thematic and artistic value.

This mural’s creation in 2021 is particularly notable. Its installation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by severe restrictions on international travel and public gatherings, speaks volumes about the festival’s resilience. The ability to successfully host international artists like Maker & Land demonstrates that the festival has transcended its initial role as a simple regeneration project to become a deeply embedded and essential cultural pillar of the city. It is an enduring institution that provides a sense of continuity and community even during times of crisis.

It is worth noting that a different artist, KMG from Scotland, is credited with creating a mural titled “Mórrigan” at a separate location for the Waterford Walls Festival. This careful distinction is necessary to prevent any confusion and maintain the integrity of the historical record, ensuring that the work of Maker & Land is accurately documented as the third layer of art on the Little Patrick Street wall.

The Walls Project: A Broader Context of Urban Regeneration

The history of the wall at the Book Centre is a microcosm of the larger story of The Walls Project and the Waterford Walls Festival. What began in 2015 as a “small grassroots voluntary group” aimed at rejuvenating a city recovering from an economic crash, has since matured into a “social enterprise” known as The Walls Project CLG. This evolution demonstrates the remarkable success of the initiative, which now delivers large-scale public artworks and outreach projects across Ireland, with a dedicated focus on community engagement and international collaborations.

The festival’s sustained success is built upon a robust and sustainable model. It is funded by key government and cultural bodies, including the Waterford City & County Council and the Arts Council. Furthermore, it has developed an innovative approach to community engagement by inviting individuals and business owners to submit their walls for consideration, with options for corporate sponsorship. This collaborative ecosystem ensures the festival is not merely an external art installation but a deeply integrated community project, supported by a diverse array of local and international sponsors. The festival has transcended its initial purpose of a temporary aesthetic improvement to create lasting economic and social value for Waterford.

This broader context lends a deeper significance to the wall’s own history. The progression from an undocumented tribute to Paddy Flynn to the professionally curated work of Maker & Land is a direct reflection of the festival’s institutional journey. The wall has chronologically borne the three main characteristics of the movement: its organic, community-based origins; its early, challenging, and ephemeral collaborations; and its final, professional, and resilient international commissions.

A Living Chronicle of Place and Memory

The wall at the Book Centre in Waterford stands as a powerful testament to the enduring and evolving role of public art in shaping a city’s identity. From the unofficial, community-driven tribute to Paddy Flynn, “The Birdman,” to the rain-soaked collaboration of ADOR and SHUK, and finally, the resilient international commission by Maker & Land, each successive layer of art tells a unique story. It is a story of a city’s recovery, its artistic maturation, and its capacity for embracing a new form of cultural expression.

The history of this one wall is not an isolated event but a living chronicle of Waterford’s journey. It embodies the concept of the palimpsest, where the past is not erased but forms the very foundation for what is to come. In an era where much of our art is ephemeral, existing only for a short time before being replaced, the act of documenting and preserving its history is of paramount importance. The initial observations and photographic records provided for this investigation have proven to be the most vital components of this cultural archiving effort, underscoring the indispensable role of individual memory and documentation in preserving the history of public art.