A LONG COMPLICATED STORY
THE LONG STORY OF THE FINDERS KEEPERS MURAl [IN CONTEXT 2017 - 2026]
The 16 Little Patrick Street Mural: A Canvas Bound to Retail
The original piece above No. 16 Little Patrick Street—depicting a wide-eyed child holding a tethered fish balloon alongside Hook Head Lighthouse, a leaping orca, and a swirling koi—was executed by Irish street artist SHUK during the 2017 festival.
Its canvas sat directly above the independent gift shop Finders Keepers. From its inception, the artwork’s public visibility was intertwined with the identity of the boutique below. The shop built a devoted local following and weathered the pandemic years, but founder Lisa Connolly eventually made the difficult decision to close the doors in 2024 due to operational burnout, likening the unrelenting retail demands to "an ultra-marathon" without a finish line.
Architectural Modification and Urban Renewal
Following the closure of the shop, the building underwent structural reconfiguration. When the upper façade was prepared for modern commercial requirements, new windows were punched directly through the masonry. This irrevocably severed the continuity of the artwork, leaving only disconnected fragments of the lighthouse and the central portrait.
By August 2026, the scarred remnants of the 2017 mural reached the end of their lifecycle. Street artist Mr Genz took over the scaffolding on Little Patrick Street to paint a completely new work across the modified wall, completing the natural cycle of erasure and renewal that defines the Waterford Walls initiative.
Public art on commercial facades remains inherently ephemeral: whether cut away by fenestration or covered by fresh coats of emulsion, the wall adapts to the living city.
The 16 Little Patrick Street Mural: A Canvas Bound to Retail
The original piece above No. 16 Little Patrick Street—depicting a wide-eyed child holding a tethered fish balloon alongside Hook Head Lighthouse, a leaping orca, and a swirling koi—was executed by Irish street artist SHUK during the 2017 festival.
Its canvas sat directly above the independent gift shop Finders Keepers. From its inception, the artwork’s public visibility was intertwined with the identity of the boutique below. The shop built a devoted local following and weathered the pandemic years, but founder Lisa Connolly eventually made the difficult decision to close the doors in 2024 due to operational burnout, likening the unrelenting retail demands to "an ultra-marathon" without a finish line.
Architectural Modification and Urban Renewal
Following the closure of the shop, the building underwent structural reconfiguration. When the upper façade was prepared for modern commercial requirements, new windows were punched directly through the masonry. This irrevocably severed the continuity of the artwork, leaving only disconnected fragments of the lighthouse and the central portrait.
By August 2026, the scarred remnants of the 2017 mural reached the end of their lifecycle. Street artist Mr Genz took over the scaffolding on Little Patrick Street to paint a completely new work across the modified wall, completing the natural cycle of erasure and renewal that defines the Waterford Walls initiative.
Public art on commercial facades remains inherently ephemeral: whether cut away by fenestration or covered by fresh coats of emulsion, the wall adapts to the living city.
FINDERS KEEPERS