Mural on Taffe's shop

Mrs OBumble

Really surprised to be the first to post about this ... ye students must have exams or something!

Anyway:

Yesterday, some lads painted a mural on Taffe's shop. Anyone know who and why?

Also, what's it of? I can recognise Una from her reputation (the lipstick is a giveaway), but who's the old boy with the 20? And the rest?

Little My

This?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=65124875#post65124875

blond45

well it brightens up the drab street . looks grand to me.

grainnereills

gerry barrett's son approached the arts festival last summer about using the entire facade as a canvas for public art. but nothing came of it. then they offered it to the arts office of galway city council to use for the same purpose. dragged on for a bit, in the end the artists used it in conjunction with the magazine. they were given free rein to do what they wanted with it. think the old man is the grandfather of one of the lads who did it. the lady is una, complete with aran sweaters and a dog. not sure what the script is or mean though any help?

think it looks great, wish they could get around to doing the rest of the building that would be super!

All they need now is a smell drifting out from it and it is complete.

FatherTed

I think that's the dog that bit me once.

galwaygirleen

The aul lad in the picture is Eddie Taffe, Una's brother as far as I know.

Not sure if he was around in the era of the euro

grainnereills

not eddie taffe...the lads' grandfather as per this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=JPGVNw4Dx_k&feature=related

muppetkiller

Christ it looks terrible ! I mean it's better than the dull boarding it was but they could've added a bit more characters and life to it...It is in the main shopping/touristy street in Galway.

awhir

the mag is here if anyone wants to look at it

http://issuu.com/48hours/docs/48hours

s_carnage

muppetkiller wrote: »

Christ it looks terrible ! I mean it's better than the dull boarding it was but they could've added a bit more characters and life to it...It is in the main shopping/touristy street in Galway.

Totally agree, the bit with Una and the other fella is ok as there's a bit of a story attached to it but the other bit with the writing that is saying God knows what is just like what you'd see tagged onto underpasses of bridges.

I'm no expert in art or anything but I think they could have done so much better with this.

_Whimsical_

muppetkiller wrote: »

Christ it looks terrible ! I mean it's better than the dull boarding it was but they could've added a bit more characters and life to it...It is in the main shopping/touristy street in Galway.

I agree. Think it looks dire. An artistic mural wouldve been great but I think most people passing would just describe it as grafiti and grafited boarded up shop fronts do not say "look what an arty and cultured town we are". Unfortunate thing is that the artist was obviously capable of better judging by two people drawn in it.

Xiney

It's better than what was there but I'm a bit disappointed as well.

Oh well, maybe it'll get redone or something soon.

Thargor

Who the feck is Una?

_Whimsical_

Thargor wrote: »

Who the feck is Una?

She is Una Taffe. The woman that owned that shop before it was sold to Gerry Barrett. She sold woolen jumpers but I doubt anyone from Galway ever darkened the door of that shop.It was dark,smelled horrific (you had to hold your breath going past) and it was full of mangy looking dogs. She was an eccentic and everyone in Galway knew her so she was considered a part of the fibre of the town on some level. She lived a dreary existance and shortly after her death her shop was sold for 10 million euro!

Why is she tucked into the corner of that pic while some random guys grandad is the main focal point ?

Thargor

Thanks Chilly must have been before my time. Thats probably the worst mural Ive ever seen tbh.

faigs

Who's Gerry Barrett? A developer? Is anything going to be done with teh building?

bigeasyeah

I prefer a good landscape or perhaps military panorama.

faigs

faigs wrote: »

Who's Gerry Barrett? A developer? Is anything going to be done with teh building?

Yes. The site is relatively big and planning for a Zara was held up because of a new restriction on building near the oil tanks in the docks.

His solution was to buy the oil tanks and move them.

Before Shop Street was pedestrianised the foot paths were very narrow and you had to step over those dogs while holding your breath when passing Taffes.

moonflower

It's definitely an improvement, but there's much nicer graffiti around Galway. You'd kinda think that they'd do something a bit more impressive for the main street.

miss polly

God it looks awful... I think it looked better when it wasnt painted ! At least it just shrunk in the background and no one took much notice but now its eye catching and it looks terrible ! I agree.. what the hell does the writing say ? It just looks like some teenagers got some paint and graffitied it and makes the main shopping street in Galway look tacky!! Very diasappointed.. coulda done better!

CrowdedHouse

When I saw it I thought it was Sean Fitzpatrick of Anglo Irish bank infamy....did they lend the money to buy Taffes ?

oneintotwo

I think it's pretty cool, if anyone here thinks they can do a better job, off ye go

bigeasyeah

oneintotwo wrote: »

I think it's pretty cool, if anyone here thinks they can do a better job, off ye go

If someone pays me to give it a coat of paint it will be a better job than what is currently there.

inisboffin

How about..someone like McDonaghs sponsor the paint (or a few companies), the mural is redone once a month (that way if you don't like the current one, then it's not there for long), and different artists can submit an idea for each month?

_Whimsical_

oneintotwo wrote: »

I think it's pretty cool, if anyone here thinks they can do a better job, off ye go

I'd give it a go. My granny would look great immortalised in oil paint there!

inisboffin wrote: »

How about..someone like McDonaghs sponsor the paint (or a few companies), the mural is redone once a month (that way if you don't like the current one, then it's not there for long), and different artists can submit an idea for each month?

Yup I think that's a much better idea.
I'm sure that it would be a real plus for someones portfolio too.There could even be some sort of exibition at the end of year or a competition or something.

frufru

pretty crap graff TBH