The tallest mural in Ireland has been completed in Dundalk.
At the highest point the mural of the warrior god Lú, the namesake of Co Louth, is 40 metres above the footpath.
It is on the side of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, itself one of the tallest buildings in Ireland, and is clearly visible from a distance.
In the painting, Lú appears to be staring intensely towards the horizon and has an electric blue coloured spear in one hand, a sword in the other and a wolfhound at his feet.
It was spray-painted by internationally known Australian artist Sam Bates, aka “Smug One”, as part of the SEEK urban arts festival, now in its third year.
He began last week and the visual impact has led to what some have described as “mural mania in Dundalk”.
Speaking just after he finished the work, Bates said: “It might be the largest mural I have ever done. I have reached out to some people in Sweden who organised my other mural that might be the largest [but] I think this is the tallest.”
As part of his preparation, he contacted a man “who looked appropriate” and discovered he also had a wolfhound and was part of a group with costumes and weapons from the period in question. He met with them and photographed them and said, “so it all fell into place and worked out perfectly.”
He said his time in Dundalk had been “a really positive experience”.
“It was just a beautiful experience for me to paint up there, watching the sunset every day, we had some beautiful sunsets while I was here, I would be super keen to come back someday.”
The Business Improvement District Scheme Dundalk organises the festival, which first began in 2019. It was the brainchild of Martin McElligott and Dundalk graffiti artist and graphic designer Barry Finnegan (Omin).
