Artlink’s first public art project, Art in the Park, was initiated in 1994 by Aileen Barr, one of Artlink’s three founding artists. Aileen worked with a local FAS scheme to create tiles for a seat and environmental tile trail throughout Swan Park.
With the regeneration of Swan Park after the 2017 flood, Artlink wanted to revisit this project, which meant so much to the local community. This new project has developed new ceramic pieces for the park based on the original artwork. Aileen, who has been based in San Francisco since 2002, returned to Artlink in 2023 to collaborate with local artists in developing designs and delivering a series of presentations and ceramic workshops with community groups to create tiles for a new seat.
Alongside this, local artist Matthew Porter has been collaborating with the public to create a ceramic trail detailing the biodiversity of the park.
During the research phase, co-ordinated by artist Grainne McMenamin, Artlink worked with Claire Moore (Thompson) from Keeper of the Ways (formerly Foraging Donegal) and Sue and John Shiels who researched and produced a Natural History Survey of the Park commissioned by Buncrana Tidy Towns in 2010-12.
Additionally, Aileen and the community have recreated the iconic circular ceramic mosaic seat, themed around the Life Cycle of the Salmon, as a focal point within the park.
Joining Aileen and Matthew in this endeavour were two of the original Art in the Park participants, Sinead Craig and Geraldine Timlin, and in addition Sue Goodwin, who was artist in residence with Artlink in the early years, and local artist Julie Magee. Local groups included iCare, North West Home Education Group, Sliabh Sneacht Day Centre, Gaelscoil Bhun Cranncha and The Exchange Intercultural Cafe.
The project has been made possible with funding from The Arts Council and Donegal County Council.
About Aileen Barr
Aileen studied Craft Design at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, specializing in ceramics and has been creating handmade tile projects for the public arena for the past 28 years. She has become renowned for the spectacular tiled stairways created in San Francisco in collaboration with Colette Crutcher. As well as establishing Artlink (with Marie Barrett and Lisa Spillane), she lead a number of community based Public Art projects in Donegal through Artist in Residence in Schools projects and Artist in the Community projects before emigrating to the United States in 2002.
About Matthew Porter
Matthew Porter is a visual artist, specialising in ceramics, based in Buncrana. He holds a BA in Contemporary Applied Arts from Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork. In 2019 he was commissioned to produce a tile piece for the Laurentic memorial at Fort Dunree. He established his ceramics business Puca Pottery and has been involved in various education initiatives at Artlink over the past few years.
Artlink would like to thank all the people and organisations who came together to make this possible including
- The Arts Council of Ireland for their ongoing support which made this project possible
- Traolach O’Fionan {Donegal Arts Officer} for his ongoing support of the Arts in the region
- Eamonn and Samantha Mahon {DCC} for their help to get the project going
- Michael McFadden, Kevin Lake and Mark McLaughlin {DCC} for their support to realise the project
- George McDermott {DCC, Town Gardener} and his colleagues Alan and Cora who generously help Artlink in our many projects in the park
- Balcrete, Carndonagh who formed the concrete base
- Liam Doherty, tiler, who went above and beyond to insure the work was installed to highest standards
- Gráinne McMenamin, who assisted us in coordinating the project
- Claire Thompson-Moore, who shared her knowledge of nature in the park
- Liam Hirrel, film-maker who has documented the whole project
- Helen, Irene, Andrew, Pat and everyone at Buncrana Anglers Centre for their generous hospitality
- Cllr Rena Donaghey who officially launched the artworks
- John and Sue Shiels for their publication of the natural history of Swan Park in 2010
The groups who participated in the making of the tiles:
- The staff and students at Gaelscoil Buncrana
- iCare Buncrana
- Sliabh Sneacht Day Centre Attendees
- North West Home Education Group
- Buncrana Tidy Towns
- The Exchange Intercultural Cafe participants
- And the many other individuals who assisted the design, creation and installation of the works.
Most especially Artlink is humbly grateful to Aileen Barr and Matthew Porter for their vision and passion for authentic and meaningful public art.
Through their talent and dedication have realised this project of reviving the Swan Park ‘Art in the Park’
