Doon resident injects 'colour and vibrancy' to Offaly border village

A Doon-based artist has played a key role in the development of a new impressive biodivesity mural erected on the Westmeath/Offaly border.

Situated in the village of Ballinahown, across the road from the area's community playground, the mural - commissioned by Ballinahown Community Development with funds raised from its well-supported weekly 50/50 draw - was brought to life by the talented international muralist, Doon-based Shane George Turner.

Erected on property afforded to the community development by local business-woman Tanya Rohan, the mural has proved an instant eye-catcher, much to the delight of both locals and passers-by, said community development vice-chairperson Lorraine Farrell.

“We recognised some time ago, as a development group and community, that we needed different ways to generate funds for different projects. Of course, you can get a certain amount from grants and so on, but we felt a real need to develop a strong way of raising funds for ourselves. One way of doing that was to establish the 50/50 draw, for the purpose of funding community projects and ideas,” Lorraine said.

“After consultation with the local Tidy Towns and the community, it was felt that a mural would be a great addition to the community and a genuine focal point for the village. It turned out brilliantly and everyone seems really happy with it. It's a colourful and vibrant addition to the community,” she added.

To this end, she said, the work carried out by the South African-born Shane George Turner fitted perfectly with the community group's ethos.

For his part, Shane – who created the Niall Horan mural on Mullingar's Dominick Street, as well as working on projects in 25 other countries – said it was a privilege to be involved with the Ballinahown community project.

“Much of the wall was quite pitted and so, it would've been extremely difficult to work with,” he said.

“I suggested working with installation boards instead, so I was able to do most the artwork from my home studio, in Doon. I am happy with the way it turned out, although, like with many projects, you could probably work on it forever! I've been very busy working on other murals around the country recently, but I hope the people in the area are quite happy with it,” Shane added.

Lorraine pointed out that the Community Development group is dedicated to biodiversity, and to educating people in the community about the benefits of biodiversity. Indeed, all flora and fauna featured in the mural are native to Ireland, she said.

On behalf of Ballinahown Community Development, which is jointly chaired by local councillor John Dolan and Aoife Farrell, Lorraine was keen to thank all supporters of its 50/50 weekly draw. She encouraged people to continue doing so, saying that the completion of the mural shows that supporting the draw leads to 'tangible results' for the village and its residents.

She also said that plans are already afoot to keep adding to the picturesque village.

Lorraine said: “As a development organisation, there's always plenty of ideas and suggestions about what can be done next. We will be looking to add more biodiversity work/projects in the future, and maybe even more murals, who knows?”