Busy bees doing their Christmas shopping in Letterkenny may have spotted a new mural in the Cathedral Quarter.
The artwork was created last week by artist Ciarán Dunlevy, who also painted the larger bee display on the Quiet Moment and the historic Lawrence collection mural on Church Lane.
The new mural completes the ‘Flight of the Bee’ trail commissioned by Letterkenny Tidy Towns to promote biodiversity and sustainability.
Located above Insomnia coffee shop, the artwork depicts a native Irish honeybee on a flower, with the all-important pollen spreading through the air.
Ciarán chose the soft pop of colour to complement the nearby local beauty businesses and existing murals. He uses water-based non-toxic paint with both a mini-spray and an air-brush for the detail.
Artist Ciarán Dunlevy with his finished mural in the Cathedral Quarter.
“The fact that the bee was smaller I could ramp up the level of details this time and the parts that people might not be aware of,” Ciarán told Donegal Daily.
“This piece shows off the impact a bee has every time it lands on a flower. It doesn’t realise the effect it has, like some people who are always connecting, joining together and networking without knowing the positive impact they have.”
New bee mural tucked above Insomia coffee shop at the Cathedral Quarter Letterkenny
Ciarán, who also has a qualification in beekeeping, is best-placed for promoting the importance of protecting bees.
He said: “This project gives us a chance to educate people on how native Irish bees look. People often mistake them for wasps, but the bee is more golden brown than black. People can often be sitting at a coffee table and they see what they think is a wasp and swat it away, when it’s actually a honeybee.”
Because the picture is so sharp in detail, Ciarán had the challenge of making the bee appear less aggressive to suit the local businesses. He’s delighted that the response so far has been hugely positive.
“Thanks to Melinda Stella Molnar at Dream Nails for letting us use the plugs in her place and to Aoibheann Walsh at G&G for the loan of a hairdryer to dry the wall before the rain,” he said.
Donnan Harvey admires the new bee mural in the Cathedral Quarter. Photo: Ciarán Dunlevy
The mural has been welcomed by Donnan Harvey, Secretary of the Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Committee and a member of the Tidy Towns Committee.
He said: “It’s great to be collaborating with the Tidy Towns on this and adding another bit of colour to the area. We now have the mosaic, the stained glass window by UV Arts and ATU fashion students and the Lawrence collection Mural painted on No. 2.
“A big thanks to Sweeney Scaffolding for their sponsorship.”
You can find the three other ‘Flight of the Bee’ murals created by Karl Porter of UV Arts C.I.C are located at Devlin Hall, the Jim McCormick memorial garden near Century Complex and the former ESB building on the Port Road.
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