New Artworks at The Banks, Balbriggan by local artist Dave West

Fingal County Council is delighted to announce news of a new public artwork for Balbriggan. The work titled “Wish you Were Here” by local artist Dave West has now been installed at the prominent Banks site at Balbriggan Harbour and was officially launched by Mayor of Fingal Cllr Howard Mahony on Tuesday 14, February. This work has been made possible through our ongoing partnership with Iarnród Éireann, Balbriggan and the Our Balbriggan Regeneration Programme.

Early in 2022, the artist in collaboration with Irish Rail and Our Balbriggan announced a call to action from the community, where they were invited to submit viewpoints to the artist Dave West on what everyone loves about Balbriggan. The call out was delivered in the form of a postcard and billboard campaign and distributed across our libraries, community hubs, the Balbriggan train station and the central Our Balbriggan office. The entries received formed the inspiration of the artists new work for the location.

The project is part of the many initiatives currently underway in Balbriggan that demonstrate how art and artists can enliven and celebrate our public spaces and adds to the other stunning panel featuring the beautiful coastline on the site by another local artist Sean Molloy.

Mayor of Fingal Councillor Howard Mahony advocates that “Art and artists play a vitally important role in bringing our towns and villages to life for local communities and visitors alike. This ‘Wish You Were Here’ project is an example of how our Fingal Arts Office support the creativity of artists like Dave West and it also encourages community engagement with public art and I am delighted to see it coming to fruition to be enjoyed by all.”

Director of the Economic Enterprise, Tourism & Cultural Development Department John Quinlivan shared with us that “The regeneration of Balbriggan is well underway and it continues to reach visible milestones in its progress including the approval of the Quay Street and Environs Rejuvenation Plan.  We are committed to celebrating all the town has to offer for its communities and visitors alike and art, with projects like Dave West’s beautiful panels at the Banks, plays a huge part in this.’

Dave West works across a variety of media including, painting, mosaic and glass.

The 5 panels, Take a Dip, See the Coast, Wish You Were Here, Regatta & Baile Brigín all point to local and historical reference points generated from the community. The regular sea swimmers were the local inspiration for Take a Dip, the sea has been a lifeline for peoples mental and physical health in the area throughout the town’s history. Dave West uncovered an old postcard from the 19th Century featuring 2 swimming platforms which formerly existed in the harbour and has highlighted this link to the past with this panel. See the Coast brings out the presence of the distinctive viaduct which is an unmistakable Balbriggan landmark and demonstrates the importance of the train travel that still allows visitors to journey to Balbriggan and enjoy its beautiful coast.

Wish you Were Here, is a tribute to the community’s love of a sunny day in Balbriggan, a day on the beach, enjoying an ice cream and a scene anchored by two historic landmarks, Bremore and Ardgillan Castles.  Regatta tells the story of the Drogheda Railway company who, for 40 years hosted a sailing regatta in the harbour where the beach was a hive of boating activity and fun. Baile Brigín was really created by the artist to celebrate how the community just loves their town, this piece also features the newly restored lighthouse.

Public Art Co-ordinator Caroline Cowley explains that “Our friends at Irish Rail Balbriggan have identified that this is a perfect opportunity to engage with the community so that the work which will be located at this prominent location will tell a story of what everyone loves most about the town. By taking the familiar holiday greeting of “Wish you Here” West is asking the people of Balbriggan to think about how they might describe the town to a visitor. Historically visitors would have taken a train journey out to the beach to enjoy a day at the beach and looking at the old archive postcards we are reminded of legacy of historical posters produced by Irish rail which featured artist renditions of Irish destinations as created by the famous Paul Henry”.

The Banks by Sean Molloy and Dave West’s new work Wish You were Here are currently on view at the Banks overlooking Balbriggan Beach and Harbour.