A cross-community project between Lecale Trinity Grammar School and Down High has resulted in a striking three-storey mural celebrating diversity in Downpatrick.
Fourteen pupils from the two schools worked on the mural, which was painted on a gable wall at the Lidl carpark, owned by local business owners Thomas and Philomena Gibney.
Celeste McEvoy, Shared Education coordinator between Lecale Trinity and Down High, explained that the mural, titled Hope Floats, reflects how the town came together to support each other following the floods of autumn 2023.
“One of the students painted hands coming together, and we liked that idea,” Celeste said, referring to the image of hands rising out of water and holding an ancient triskele symbol. “The floods became the key feature at the bottom part of the mural. The hands represent the diverse group of kids working together, and the top part celebrates the natural beauty of the Quoile and the wonderful things in Downpatrick.”
The pupils were guided through the project by Killough artist Kieron Black. Despite aiming to complete the mural by March, it was finished on Friday, 24 April. Kieron explained, “We were out of time. People up the chain were asking, ‘Where is our mural?’ But we had the wettest winter in 149 years. Fortunately, the great weather arrived just in time.”
The inspiration for the project came from Celeste McEvoy, whose role is to bring pupils from Down High and Lecale Trinity together through Shared Education initiatives. “I saw a gable wall and thought it would be great to create artwork celebrating the growing diversity of the Downpatrick community,” she said. She discussed the idea with Keith Williamson, her Shared Education colleague at Down High, who supported it, and they brought it to Janine Walker and Leontia Haldenby at the Down Arts Centre. The centre pitched the project to the district council, which gave its support alongside the PEACEPLUS ASPIRE Project—a multi-year, cross-border and cross-sectoral Shared Education initiative.
Kieron Black, who had a residency at the Down Arts Centre, led eight weeks of workshops during the autumn of last year. Students visited each other’s schools and explored what Downpatrick means to them. “Initially, when I asked the students what the town meant to them, they drew logos of Lidl, McDonalds, and Greggs,” Kieron recalled. “I challenged them to think more deeply about their town—about where they are from and what they can give back. We eventually focused on the regeneration and rebirth of the town, hope, and their place within it after the floods.”
Read the full story in the current issue inlcuding explanations about the design.
