I PHOTOGRAPHED THIS EXAMPLE OF PAINT-A-BOX ON MY WAY TO THE PRIDE VILLAGE 27 JUNE 2026
Literary Icons on the Street: Joyce and Barnacle in the City Centre
While walking through the city centre towards the Pride Village event at Merrion Square Park, I stopped to photograph these striking portraits on a pair of traffic light control boxes. Captured with my Leica Q3, this piece is a brilliant example of the "Less Grey, More Play" ethos championed by the Dublin Canvas project.
The subjects are none other than James Joyce and his muse and wife, Nora Barnacle. The artist, AndyMc, has captured them with his signature graphic intensity, using bold colours and dynamic linework to bring these historical figures into the modern streetscape. It is a poignant choice of location; Nora Barnacle famously worked at the nearby Finn's Hotel on Leinster Street, the very place she first encountered Joyce.
These boxes are a testament to the power of public art—turning the mundane infrastructure of our city into a canvas that celebrates the grit, resilience, and literary legacy of Dublin.
While walking through the city centre towards the Pride Village event at Merrion Square Park, I stopped to photograph these striking portraits on a pair of traffic light control boxes. Captured with my Leica Q3, this piece is a brilliant example of the "Less Grey, More Play" ethos championed by the Dublin Canvas project.
The subjects are none other than James Joyce and his muse and wife, Nora Barnacle. The artist, AndyMc, has captured them with his signature graphic intensity, using bold colours and dynamic linework to bring these historical figures into the modern streetscape. It is a poignant choice of location; Nora Barnacle famously worked at the nearby Finn's Hotel on Leinster Street, the very place she first encountered Joyce.
These boxes are a testament to the power of public art—turning the mundane infrastructure of our city into a canvas that celebrates the grit, resilience, and literary legacy of Dublin.