Looking at the bigger picture
The latest addition to the streetscape of Belturbet is an enhancement that will enrich the tourism experience for visitors. The one time capital of the Kingdom of East Breifne now boasts a striking mural that acknowledges one of the more modern aspects of the town’s rich heritage.
“The idea for a mural in town came from our revitalisation plan. The plans sought to explore the option to commission an art mural to enliven walls around the town,” Julie McAvinney, secretary, PROJECT Belturbet explained.
In medieval times the town grew from its reputation as an advantageous crossing point on River Erne. PROJECT Belturbet have been the drivers of this latest addition to the town and they are confident it will augment the numerous walking trails in the area.
“As part of the revitalisation plan for Belturbet a number of walls around the town were identified as being suitable for murals,” Ms McAvinney told the Celt.
“We worked with different community groups and the feeling was that a mural would create a space for storytelling, and so people contributed their ideas to the artwork.”
The next step was to find an artist to bring the project to life. Enter Collette Kearny: “Collette hosted a couple of workshops where we looked at walls around the town that were suitable. She did a lot of research on aspects of the history of Belturbet. Originally we were going with a different mural, however lockdown forced us into reassessing what direction we were going in.
“The artist saw a picture hanging in ‘The Goods Store’. She suggested it as a basis for the mural,” Julie tells.
The Goods Store is located at the Belturbet Railway Station. Opened in 1885, the station was built and operated by the Great Northern Railway Company of Ireland. It served as the connecting point for the Great Northern Railway broad gauge and the Cavan and Leitrim Railway narrow gauge railway lines and accommodated both railway companies until its closure in 1959.
It has become a focal point for community and an icon of the tourism potential of the area. As such it was the perfect theme for the mural: “The Railway Station really is a big part of the town. The fact that the two different engines are in the picture is important. People loved Colette’s art work, its 3D effect brings the trains back to life, like they are popping out of the wall.”
Julie hopes this is just the first artwork to adorn the walls of Belturbet: “We are looking for funding to develop beyond this. The next one will be even bigger. We want one where the Castle used to be, something to show what life was like at that time. The area the murals are in will be an information point.”
Walks
The plans is to inform tourists about the five different walks in Belturbet at the site of the art work. The latest addition to the walking offering is the Dreamscape trail on beautiful Turbet Island. This project was supported by the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.
The Dreamscape trail promotes positive relations by respect, and where cultural diversity is celebrated and people can live, learn and socialise together, free from prejudice, hate and intolerance.
The building of the trail involved cross-community and cross-border groups coming together and working in collaboration with Artist Jackie O’Neill - Dotti Was A Deer, Belturbet Men’s Shed, Colm Mullen and the Celtic Fairy Door collection.
Julie says the support of the local authority was essential in all PROJECT Belturbet initiatives. “The project would never have happened without the funding from Cavan County Council Arts Funds. We were delighted to have Catriona and Narrissa from Cavan Arts visit Belturbet for the unveiling of the mural. We have an other idea for a mural in mind, so we will be going back to them looking at more funding options,” she concludes.