Today I had an appointment at Harolds’s Cross so I decided to walk there and visit Longwood Avenue, on my way, in order to check if this large mural had survived the legal and official attempts to have it removed.
In June 2022 it was announced that Dublin City Council was to drop its prosecution of art group Subset for three prominent street murals – including this one celebrating the life of David Attenborough.
In November 2019 I upload photographs of this mural and included the following comment: “Dublin City Council has ordered that a mural of David Attenborough on the side of a property in south Dublin should be removed. An entity or group known as Subset had recently created the Street Art tribute to David Attenborough on his 93rd birthday.”
The David Attenborough Mural is a large-scale street mural located on the gable wall of a house on South Circular Road facing onto Longwood Avenue in Dublin 8, Ireland. It was painted in 2019 by the artist collective SUBSET to mark the renowned naturalist and broadcaster’s 93rd birthday.
The mural depicts Attenborough in his signature khaki jacket and hat, standing next to a group of animals, including a penguin, a lion, and an elephant. The mural is vibrantly coloured and features a stylised depiction of the natural world.
The mural was controversial from the start, as it was painted without planning permission from Dublin City Council. The council eventually ordered the mural to be removed, but this decision was met with widespread public opposition.
A petition to save the mural attracted over 10,000 signatures, and the council eventually dropped its prosecution of the artists.
The David Attenborough Mural is now considered to be a popular tourist attraction in Dublin. It is a reminder of the city’s vibrant street art scene and its appreciation for the natural world.
THE HORSEBOY MURAL ON STIRRUP LANE DUBLIN 7 IS NOW CLOSED TO THROUGH-TRAFFIC
I have noticed this mural a number of times but what I never noticed was that the street is closed to through-traffic. I checked online and here is the description that I found: “The street “Stirrup Lane” is located in the southeast of Dublin 7. It is about 72 meters long and the maximum speed here is at 30 km/h.” I checked some photographs from February 2019 and they were no planters blocking through-traffic.
Back is August 2019 An Bord Pleanála was set to rule on the case of a well-known mural in the Smithfield area after Dublin City Council found that it needs planning permission to remain in place. At the time a petition gained over 2,500 signatures in two days but despite this the appeal to An Bord Pleanála was withdrawn and an enforcement order was issued by the council. It is now January 2022 and the mural is still on view.
Stirrup Lane is a very old side street off Church Street. It was “probably named after a family who resided in this area” according to Paul Clerkin’s book Dublin Street Names but if I had to make a guess I would say that the name relates in some way to horses.
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