An amenity which has enriched the lives of many, the Old Rail Trail will be further enhanced with the addition of five new sculptures on the route in 2023.
Undertaken as part of the Government’s ‘Per Cent for Arts’ scheme, the sculptures will dot the Old Rail Route from the White Gates to Streamstown, the installation of the artwork is planned for April of next year. Named ‘Turning Circles’, the sculpture project is a collaboration between Aosdána poet and Haiku specialist, Gabriel Rosenstock, and sculptor, Martha Quinn.
Ensuring durability, all works will be made of top quality Irish limestone, the collaborators working to design a series of sculptures that capture the essence of the locality.
Each sculpture is tailor designed for the specific location and reflects the different natures of the chosen sites with the artworks incorporating an individual Haiku or series of Bilingual Haiku, that touch on different aspects of the Greenway experience, representing the rich diversity of flora and fauna, the historical context and active engagement of visitors to the trail by walking or cycling.
The initial brief proposed the design and installation of four sculptures but, addressing the members of Athlone-Moate Municipal District, district manager, Jackie Finney noted that the artists had agreed to create a fifth artwork design for the local authority.
Those public representatives present were presented with details of the four sculptures which will be located at Crosswood Bog, Moate, Kilcumreragh and Streamstown.
Crosswood Bog
The Crosswood bog location supports a quiet gentle look at the smaller details and the rich significance of the flora and fauna associated with the area.
In recognition of the sensitivity of this location, the sculpture is comprised of a collection or series of standing stones, five in total, placed at regular intervals over a stretch of the cycle path.
The line of sculptures will have a presence in the landscape as viewed from a distance, but as the visitor approaches the multitude of details become clear. Each standing stone has a poem carved into a small pillar of stone which can be turned by hand to read the text, the poem pillars being mounted on the front and back of the stones.
These stones will stand at a height of two metres and emulate the upended railway sleepers that are used to notify pathway users of cattle crossings.
Moate
The medium scale sculpture located in Moate reflects the Old Rail Trail usage as a cycleway and public amenity.
A family and child friendly sculpture, the artwork is comprised of a series of stone rings, placed in pairs and are deemed evocative of a family of cycles. Intended to allow children to clamber over, through and sit on and in the circles, the sculpture will provide a framework for families and individuals to pose for photos and take-home memories of their Old Rail Trail excursion.
The four pairs of hoops will be placed on a stone paved area for a hard wearing and visually pleasing finish to the piece.
Kilcumreragh
The Kilcumreragh location reflects the ancient connection and far distant past.
Located at the 21km mark on the Old Rail Trail, the essence of the sculpture for Kilcumreragh celebrates the historical context of the locality, a past, that while not forgotten, no longer exists in living memory.
The stones collectively will have a singular presence, a group of three objects, viewed as a cluster, each at a height of 2.2 metres. They are designed to be seen, mainly from the front, though the carving will extend around the sides and to the back.
The circular patterns on the stones are abstract in nature but are suggestive of ring forts, stone circles, lichen, geological contours and fossils. They are evocative of ancient things, the style of carving demonstrating the use of hand tools, ancient techniques and their identifiable handmade marks. This will result in a lively textured surface on the stone with patterns being created by the work of the hammer and chisel.
The English and the Irish version of poems, reflective of the location, are carved on smaller stone cylinders, in the same fashion as the Crosswood bog sculpture, but in this instance the pillars will be placed on either side of the stones so that both are visible simultaneously.
Streamstown
The large iconic sculpture proposed for the Streamstown location reflects the history of the railway.
This large limestone sculpture stands 2.8 metres in height. Located on the far platform opposite to the station, the sculpture will be oriented so approaching cyclists and walkers will see it from a distance, the open circle framing the changing view as the person approaches. A single Haiku will be used in this sculpture.
The intention behind the sculpture is to create a strong iconic presence for the trail. The ideology of the ‘turning circle’ is connected not only with all the wheeled transportation but with the notion of change itself, the repurposing of the railway line, the turn in tides and the change in histories.
