‘I’m devastated… but not totally surprised’- Dublin woman ordered to remove mural from home

Dublin homeowner Cathy McGovern has said she’s “disappointed but not totally surprised” after being ordered to remove a mural from the front of her house by An Bord Pleanála.

The specially commissioned artwork depicts two ballerinas mid-dance wearing boxing gloves, and was painted by Irish visual artist Solus on the front of Ms McGovern’s period home in Sandycove.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSruwo9MERX/

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast this morning, she said:

I’m devastated, I am really disappointed but not totally surprised.

I guess it’s your head and your heart: I’m a libertarian, so in my heart I think you pay your mortgage, you pay your taxes, you maintain your house.

And if you want to go and get a tin of paint and paint your house, you should be able to do what you want with that.

So in principle I think you should – in practice, I can understand that then people might paint things that the community don’t want or that are undesirable – and it’s useful to have a process to moderate that.

Spotted on a private home in Sandycove earlier. What a lovely way to breath vibrancy into the burbs. More exteriors as art canvases please! pic.twitter.com/CFqz9ubO0R

— Daithí (@heyadaithi) August 20, 2021

Cathy said the idea for the ballerina mural came to her during lockdown, as a way to introduce “some colour and some art” into the local community. She added that her neighbours “absolutely love it”.

Header image via Instagram/solus.art

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