My visit to Waterford was a week earlier than planned due to last-minute issues with hotel accommodation. This meant that many of the murals I hoped to see were still in progress. On top of that, my main server ran out of resources on my return to Dublin and took almost a week to replace, which delayed the publication of these photos from my August 2025 visit to Waterford City.
The Mural on Thomas Street: A Deconstruction
The recent investigation into a specific mural on Thomas Street in Waterford confirms its connection to the artist Omin. The work in question is located on a derelict building opposite or in the immediate vicinity of Henry Downes & Co., a historic pub at 10 Thomas Street. The Waterford Walls festival often uses derelict or underutilised buildings as canvases for its murals, making urban regeneration a key part of its mission. The artwork is officially titled "Off the Hook" and was painted for the Waterford Walls festival.
The fact that the mural remained unfinished after five days is an inherent part of the public art festival experience. Large-scale mural production is a live event, often subject to a range of variables, including persistent weather. Historical accounts of previous Waterford Walls festivals note that rain has been a significant obstacle for artists, particularly those from warmer climates.
The process of a mural's creation is a public one, and the period of observation—the daily transformation of a blank wall into a vibrant canvas is a key element of the festival's design. The festival is a social enterprise with the explicit mission to "transform and regenerate urban spaces" and "inspire and connect communities." By documenting the work's evolution, the photographer becomes an active, engaged participant in this process, fulfilling one of the festival’s core objectives. The fact that the photographs capture a unique, transitional phase of the art is a powerful demonstration of this principle; the value of the art lies not only in its finished form but also in the community engagement it fosters during its creation. This in-person, dynamic experience is often valued by the organisers over a static, finished photograph.
Omin: From Graffiti Roots to a Cultural Catalyst
The artist behind the Thomas Street mural, Omin, is a significant figure in the Irish urban art scene. Born in 1982 and a graduate of Visual Communications from DIT, he is a graphic artist and muralist with over two decades of experience rooted in graffiti. His career began in his early teens, where he was part of a group that evolved into the highly regarded FOES crew. This background is crucial for understanding the authenticity and foundation of his work.
Omin's artistic practice is a unique fusion of his graffiti roots and a modern, digital aesthetic. His work is described as a "collision" of "digital and analogue worlds." He finds influence in the "glitches in everyday use of digital communication" and applies these concepts to his artwork using a combination of techniques, from photorealism to graphic abstraction.
Thematic consistency is a hallmark of his approach. His exhibitions and artworks, such as "Ill Communication" and "Hidden Pulse," explore ideas of unseen energies and distorted realities, creating pieces that hint at a deeper, more vibrant life just beneath the surface of the mundane. This philosophical direction is perfectly encapsulated by his own self-description as a "Pulse maker ➰🇮🇪➰" —a title that not only describes his art but also his wider mission. He is an artist who injects a pulse of life and creativity into stagnant urban environments.
Omin's role extends far beyond the creation of individual murals. He is a co-founder of the SEEK Urban Art Festival in his home city of Dundalk, an event credited with putting Dundalk on the global street art map. His professional journey from a graffiti artist to a commissioned muralist working with businesses and local governments, such as the Limerick City and County Council, is a direct reflection of the institutionalisation and mainstreaming of street art in Ireland. This demonstrates a significant cultural shift: an art form once associated with unsanctioned acts is now a key component of official urban revitalisation strategies. His body of work is a testament to his influence, spanning numerous high-profile commissions across the country.
The Waterford Walls Festival: Ireland's Engine for Urban Regeneration
The Thomas Street mural does not exist in a vacuum; it is a single, integral piece of a much larger and more ambitious project. The Waterford Walls festival, which began in 2014, is a central pillar of The Walls Project, a social enterprise dedicated to delivering large-scale public artworks and community outreach projects. The festival's explicit mission is to use art to "transform and regenerate urban spaces" and "connect communities." With over 100 large-scale murals installed since its inception, the festival has been a powerful force in regenerating Waterford City Centre, helping to transform derelict buildings into a vibrant, open-air gallery.
The festival's operational model is designed for maximum impact and community engagement. It invites world-class headlining artists and also hosts an open call to ensure a diverse and innovative roster. The artists are not given a strict brief but are instead encouraged to create work inspired by what Waterford represents to them, drawing on local themes such as Irish folklore, marine motifs, and the city's Viking history. This approach ensures that the art is deeply resonant with the city's identity. Furthermore, the festival actively fosters public participation through weekly guided tours, workshops, and panel discussions, making the art accessible and educational for residents and tourists alike.
The socio-economic impact of Waterford Walls is demonstrable. The festival has been credited with developing O'Connell Street as a "cultural quarter" and encouraging the growth of creative industries. The murals have become a source of civic pride, with one source describing how the art has given residents a reason to "look inward again" at their city, creating a "sense of place." This emotional connection is so profound that the murals, such as the adored elephant by Louis Masai, are so cherished by the community that their removal would likely be met with protests.
The Broader Context of Public Art in Ireland
The mural on Thomas Street and the Waterford Walls festival are a microcosm of a much larger cultural movement sweeping across Ireland. The nation's public art scene has moved beyond sporadic commissions to become a strategic tool for social cohesion and urban revitalisation. This is evidenced by projects such as the "Murals for Communities" initiative, which involves partnerships between Waterford, the Netherlands, and Lithuania. This collaborative approach, supported by organisations like Creative Europe, demonstrates how mural art can be used as a "powerful tool" to engage with "marginalised and disadvantaged communities," fostering a sense of belonging and well-being. The murals are not merely for aesthetic purposes; they are an instrument for positive social change, capable of expressing the histories, feelings, and stories of a community.
The success of the Waterford Walls festival is not an isolated phenomenon but is part of a national trend. The existence of other prominent festivals, such as Omin's own SEEK Urban Art Festival in Dundalk, signifies a robust and decentralised urban art movement. This movement relies on a crucial, symbiotic relationship between artists, government bodies, and private businesses. This partnership model ensures the sustainability and long-term impact of the projects, securing funding and permission for large-scale works. Omin’s own career trajectory, from his early days in a graffiti crew to his current status as a recognised artist collaborating with corporate entities and city councils, perfectly illustrates this cultural maturation. Street art in Ireland is no longer an act of rebellion but a respected and celebrated form of public expression, an integral part of the country's cultural landscape.
Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of Art in Public Space
The investigation into the mural on Thomas Street in Waterford reveals a complex and multi-layered story that extends far beyond a single artwork. The mural, "Off the Hook," is a confirmed work by the influential artist Omin, located on or near Thomas Street. The observation of its "work in progress" status was not an indication of incompletion but a powerful example of the public, participatory nature of modern street art festivals.
The mural stands as a testament to the artist's evolution, the festival's transformative power, and the broader societal shift in how public art is perceived and utilised. It is a symbol of urban regeneration, a beacon of cultural expression, and a tangible outcome of a strategic effort to use art as a catalyst for community development. The personal act of documenting its creation becomes a unique contribution to its history, confirming that the value of such art is not solely in its finished form but in the conversations it starts, the connections it fosters, and the life it breathes into the urban environment.
