New artwork will adorn road roundabout in Tipperary

A new artwork for Clonmel will be installed on one of the approach roads to the town early in the New Year.

The 4.5 metres-high piece, entitled Beeline, will adorn the Cahir Road roundabout at Ballingarrane.

The structure has been designed by Belfast-based artist Kevin Killen and it’s hoped to have the foundations in place this month.

Melanie Scott, Arts Officer with Tipperary County Council, told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that a lot of work had gone into what is “a very exciting piece” and one that is very contemporary and dynamic.

The Irish name for Clonmel is Cluain Meala, the Vale of Honey, and she said that Beeline reflects the culture and heritage of the town. It would depict a flower constructed from steel tubing and cobalt.

The artwork, which had a budget of €45,000, was commissioned by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Tipperary County Council as part of the Clonmel Flood Relief Scheme.

Artists were invited to make submissions for the creation of a permanent gateway public artwork at the N24 Cahir Road Roundabout at Ballingarrane.

“Conceptually we invited artists to consider information provided as inspiration for proposals while also considering that contemporary Clonmel is a vibrant, forward-looking university town with a strong industrial and retail base,” said Melanie Scott.

“‘Flights of Discovery’ is a concept which encourages visitors to explore Clonmel’s lush, natural countryside and the vibrancy and genius of its industrial heritage, from its brewing heritage to its links with Bianconi in the 19th century.

“Clonmel has long been known as the Vale of Honey and the town’s traditional association with bees and honey encourages a conceptual journey of the imagination as a way of exploring this multi-faceted and vibrant town, or of ‘following the bees’. The concept of Flights of Discovery encourages visitors to openly explore the possibilities offered by the town of Clonmel,” she added.

Sixteen valid applications were received, with one late application. Five artists were shortlisted to further develop proposals to stage two of the process before the proposal submitted by artist Kevin Killen was awarded the commission by the seven-member panel.

This panel included representatives from the county council, the OPW, Chamber of Commerce, South Tipperary Arts Centre and two independent visual art specialists from outside Tipperary.

Kevin Killen obtained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design University College (now the UCA) in 1999 and specialist training in neon-making in Dallas, Texas in 2009.

Deputy Mayor Pat English said that the Cahir Road Roundabout had been missing something all along and this beautiful piece would finish it off.

Cllr Richie Molloy said he was delighted that there would be an artwork on the roundabout. You saw some fabulous pieces when you travelled around the country and it was something that Clonmel was lacking.

He said it would be great from a tourism point of view.

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Cllr Siobhán Ambrose asked if there would be something in writing to explain what the artwork was about.

Melanie Scott said there would be contextual information on the council’s website, and people would also be directed to social media.