See and engage with Ireland’s art of the street

Whether its impressive portraits, electric artwork, radical murals or contemporary messaging, the art appearing on buildings and blank facades island-wide is rivalling the likes of Miami’s Winwood Walls, the graffiti of Berlin, or Bristol, home of famed street artist Banksy. 

With large statement pieces that capture the pulse of the nation and new art popping up left, right and centre, Dublin is one of the most vibrant street art hotspots in the country.

Artists have taken to the streets here to create work that is humorous, political and culturally in the moment. And while art is dotted all over the city, the piece that covers the entire exterior of Blooms Hotel in the cultural hub of Temple Bar can’t be missed – it is the largest piece of street art created in Ireland to date.

Belfast is another city where street art has flourished and where artists from around the world have come to make their mark. 

With an abundance of fresh and vibrant modern murals to see and engage with, art and events organisation Seedhead Arts have devised a gently paced guide to the city’s ever-changing face.

Led by the local artists who have driven the scene in the last few years, it’s one of the best ways to see how the Belfast is painting a new path in the twenty-first century.

Waterford, Ireland’s oldest city, is also home to a collection of street, graffiti and mural art that can compete with anywhere in the world. Its annual Waterford Walls festival, which kicked off on 13 July, is one of the highlight events in the burgeoning Irish street art scene.

Running until the end of August, this street art extravaganza will showcase the very best of Irish and international talent, including the likes of the UK’s Curtis Hylton, Beerens from France and Germany’s Case Maclaim, with a host of guided art tours also on offer.

Meanwhile, SEEK 2020 is another exciting contemporary urban arts festival that will bring together some of the leading artists, sprayers and stencillers on the island.

Set to run between 1–8 August in Dundalk in Ireland’s Ancient East, it will feature a line-up of national and international artists based on the island of Ireland.

Creatives such as Aches, Claire Prouvost, Omin, Friz and Chula Mente will transform the County Louth town into a massive artistic canvas to illustrate the unique local history – and as it is an outdoor event the festival can be safely enjoyed by all.

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