NOT MANY VISIT THIS LANEWAY
I used a Sony A7RVI with the Sony FE 12-24mm F4 lens - I decided to only bring F4 lenses in order to save weight.
In case there is confusion there are two murals beside each other and at a distance the appear the by one complete mural. The artwork by Omin is at the right hand side of the frame
The piece is a wildstyle graffiti lettering work by the Irish street and visual artist OMIN (signed OMIN... 24 in the lower-right orange 3D block).
Artist & Style: OMIN (born in Dublin, based in Dundalk, Co. Louth) has been a prominent figure in the Irish graffiti and mural scene for over two decades. The piece displays his signature technical letterform handling, sharp beveled highlights, and bold color blocking against a textured pebble-dash wall, alongside tags/crew affiliations including TDS, EOS, and FOES.
Involvement with Waterford Walls: OMIN is a long-standing and frequent contributor to the Waterford Walls International Street Art Festival. His festival murals across Waterford include:
2017: A vibrant abstract piece on New Street.
2022: Information Highway on Catherine Street.
2025: Off the Hook (a nostalgic depiction of a vintage rotary phone) on Thomas Street.
About The Location
In the past I was told that Glass House Lane only featured "unapproved" or "poor quality" street art but I visited a few days ago and it featured some quality work. I have photographed all the art that is on display and after further research I will identify and discuss the art and artists.
Street Art and Setting
The Street Art Transformation: Historically treated as an unregulated tagging alley, Glass House Lane has evolved through initiatives like the Waterford Walls festival and independent muralists into a recognised canvas for high-caliber street art, large-scale character work, and stencil pieces.
Urban Boundaries: The lane sits in The Glen quarter of Waterford City, running along the flank of the now-vacant former Aldi retail premises.
Derelict Structures: The opposite side consists of boarded-up vernacular townhouses, overgrown boundary walls, and vacant brownfield plots illustrating Waterford’s historic inner-city urban decay.
The Road Surface Discs
What They Are: Despite appearing like weathered copper pennies, these are crimped metal bottle caps (crown corks) embedded into the black bitumen sealant used to seal asphalt cracks.
Why They Are There: This is a classic form of guerrilla urban intervention (similar to street kintsugi or pavement mosaics). While the bitumen crack sealant was still hot and pliable, bottle caps were pressed rim-down or face-down into the tar line.
Visual Clues: The scalloped, 21-crimp fluted edge is visible on each disc, along with a painted yellow cap preserved near the bend. Traffic wear and environmental grime have stripped the paint and oxidised the underlying tinplate/steel, giving them a tarnished, coin-like appearance.
Name and History
The Penrose Glassworks: The lane takes its name from the original glasshouse founded in 1783 by Quaker merchants George and William Penrose.
Birth of Waterford Crystal: This site, established between Anne Street and Glass House Lane, marked the genesis of Waterford's world-renowned flint glass industry.
Quaker Heritage: The lane formed part of Waterford's 18th-century industrial Quaker quarter, situated alongside allied trades on Penrose Lane, Dyehouse Lane, and Meeting House Lane. A Waterford Civic Trust blue plaque on Glass House Lane commemorates the Penrose brothers.
Derelict Sites & Future Plans
The Glen Regeneration: Waterford City & County Council has targeted The Glen and surrounding laneways under city centre revitalisation and Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) strategies.
Vacant Retail Footprint: Following Aldi’s relocation into the core at City Square, the commercial unit and its adjacent parking structure have been earmarked for commercial re-tenanting or mixed-use conversion to alleviate inner-city vacancy.
Derelict Site Levies: The derelict domestic plots opposite are listed under municipal derelict sites monitoring to compel private redevelopment or facilitate future compulsory acquisition for urban infill housing.
In case there is confusion there are two murals beside each other and at a distance the appear the by one complete mural. The artwork by Omin is at the right hand side of the frame
The piece is a wildstyle graffiti lettering work by the Irish street and visual artist OMIN (signed OMIN... 24 in the lower-right orange 3D block).
Artist & Style: OMIN (born in Dublin, based in Dundalk, Co. Louth) has been a prominent figure in the Irish graffiti and mural scene for over two decades. The piece displays his signature technical letterform handling, sharp beveled highlights, and bold color blocking against a textured pebble-dash wall, alongside tags/crew affiliations including TDS, EOS, and FOES.
Involvement with Waterford Walls: OMIN is a long-standing and frequent contributor to the Waterford Walls International Street Art Festival. His festival murals across Waterford include:
2017: A vibrant abstract piece on New Street.
2022: Information Highway on Catherine Street.
2025: Off the Hook (a nostalgic depiction of a vintage rotary phone) on Thomas Street.
About The Location
In the past I was told that Glass House Lane only featured "unapproved" or "poor quality" street art but I visited a few days ago and it featured some quality work. I have photographed all the art that is on display and after further research I will identify and discuss the art and artists.
Street Art and Setting
The Street Art Transformation: Historically treated as an unregulated tagging alley, Glass House Lane has evolved through initiatives like the Waterford Walls festival and independent muralists into a recognised canvas for high-caliber street art, large-scale character work, and stencil pieces.
Urban Boundaries: The lane sits in The Glen quarter of Waterford City, running along the flank of the now-vacant former Aldi retail premises.
Derelict Structures: The opposite side consists of boarded-up vernacular townhouses, overgrown boundary walls, and vacant brownfield plots illustrating Waterford’s historic inner-city urban decay.
The Road Surface Discs
What They Are: Despite appearing like weathered copper pennies, these are crimped metal bottle caps (crown corks) embedded into the black bitumen sealant used to seal asphalt cracks.
Why They Are There: This is a classic form of guerrilla urban intervention (similar to street kintsugi or pavement mosaics). While the bitumen crack sealant was still hot and pliable, bottle caps were pressed rim-down or face-down into the tar line.
Visual Clues: The scalloped, 21-crimp fluted edge is visible on each disc, along with a painted yellow cap preserved near the bend. Traffic wear and environmental grime have stripped the paint and oxidised the underlying tinplate/steel, giving them a tarnished, coin-like appearance.
Name and History
The Penrose Glassworks: The lane takes its name from the original glasshouse founded in 1783 by Quaker merchants George and William Penrose.
Birth of Waterford Crystal: This site, established between Anne Street and Glass House Lane, marked the genesis of Waterford's world-renowned flint glass industry.
Quaker Heritage: The lane formed part of Waterford's 18th-century industrial Quaker quarter, situated alongside allied trades on Penrose Lane, Dyehouse Lane, and Meeting House Lane. A Waterford Civic Trust blue plaque on Glass House Lane commemorates the Penrose brothers.
Derelict Sites & Future Plans
The Glen Regeneration: Waterford City & County Council has targeted The Glen and surrounding laneways under city centre revitalisation and Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) strategies.
Vacant Retail Footprint: Following Aldi’s relocation into the core at City Square, the commercial unit and its adjacent parking structure have been earmarked for commercial re-tenanting or mixed-use conversion to alleviate inner-city vacancy.
Derelict Site Levies: The derelict domestic plots opposite are listed under municipal derelict sites monitoring to compel private redevelopment or facilitate future compulsory acquisition for urban infill housing.
2024 MURAL BY OMIN