AN ART piece created with scavenged rubbish and inspired by the creativity of local children has been installed in Union Hall.

Artist Deirdre Brennan spearheaded this project, and saw members of the community stepping out to collect rubbish on beaches that was then used to create the final piece.

Deirdre created the design including a seascape, the sun and the skeleton of a fish thanks to the creativity of children in the local primary school.

She chose the most common images that reoccurred across the posters that children in Scoil Naomh Bhríde made during a workshop a few months ago.

‘I wanted it to be thought-provoking and I didn’t want it all happiness and light. So, what we have is a pleasant background full of hope with a very bright sun, and then to the fore, I have an image of the skeleton of a fish.

‘I had tiny little pieces of rubbish, just a high-vis vest we found in the water and we’ve used those pieces on the fish to illustrate the microplastics, the damage that they are doing in the waters and to the fish.’

Many volunteers helped Deirdre create the piece from start to finish

‘I was very taken how invested people got in it,’ said Deirdre.

The Tidy Towns committee and Deirdre’s swimming group were among those who helped out with the project.

‘It was a very positive experience,’ said Deirdre.

‘Basically, I got people involved. I got all the rubbish, we collected it, we brought it here to my house and then we sorted it and colour-coded it’

SNG, a local fishing net and rope company, supplied Deirdre with end cuts of fishing nets, which she attached to the gate, and then wove the collected debris through it to create a vibrant picture

The mural is displayed in Union Hall village.

‘I see it also as an educational tool,’ said Deirdre. ‘If you zoom into the picture, you will see that the array of stuff that has come out of the ocean.’

Deirdre said the end product of this creative adventure feels ‘very satisfying’.

The mural has been christened ‘Turning the Tide’ to reflect the determination of the community to keep the beaches and waters of Union Hall litter free.