Beach bliss to land on Cavan shores

Cavan is famous for its many lakes, but sun, sea, sand and indeed seagulls are not normally the preserve of this artistically prolific yet wholly land-locked county.

That’s all set to change this week when visual artists Siobhán Harton and Mark Lawlor unveil ‘Seagulls’, an ambitious art installation set to transform Cavan Town into a seaside idyll.
'Basically, I love the sea and I’ve always wanted to live in a seaside town but I can’t do that right now, so I decided to bring the sea to me!,' says Siobhán, who claims she was once told the only thing wrong with Cavan Town was that it wasn’t located by the sea.
The 'Seagulls' project sees Siobhán, who is also a co-founder and creative director at the Townhall Arts Space, and Mark work individually on maritime-inspired watercolours, prints and digital projections to be displayed in Townhall's theatre space. The duo meanwhile will also collaborating on a series of installations immersing Cavan Town in a wave of coastal creativity.
Both Mark and Siobhán have big plans for the exhibition, including transforming the town’s iconic Old Abbey, burial place of Owen Roe O’Neill, into a lighthouse, and using a sprawling P.A. system to channel the sounds of the sea through the town.
The installation at the Townhall Cavan Arts Space will open on Thursday July 6 at 7pm, culminating in a seaside-themed Garden Party at the Townhall on Saturday, July 29.