A new artwork celebrating the life and times of Harry Reynolds is en route to Balbriggan.
Renowned Irish artist John Kindness has been commissioned to create a new public artwork as part of the development of Harry Reynolds Road.
The work, titled Harry’s Wall, will celebrate the life and legacy of the legendary local cyclist known as The Fingal Flyer.
The artist was invited to research ideas for unique public artworks for the evolving town of Balbriggan, and his concepts were warmly received by the community during several site visits and presentations.
The new stone construction will begin this autumn with the assistance of the Fingal County Council Operations Team. Following this, John will begin work on the tiles and community engagement process for the realisation of the project in spring/summer 2026.
A further destination artwork is also planned for the new Quay Street site as part of the Our Balbriggan Regeneration Programme.
The work will be located near the Harry Reynolds Road Roundabout, (Hampton Woods) where a section of the existing wall and railing will be reimagined as a stone wall by master stone builder Jack Cripps. This wall will feature a series of intriguing recessed sections created by John Kindness, incorporating fired ceramic tiles and cast fossil-effect panels. These designs will tell various stories from the life and times of Balbriggan during Harry’s celebrated career and his enduring presence in the town.
Mayor of Fingal Cllr Tom O’Leary said, “It is important that local towns like Balbriggan have the opportunity to uniquely celebrate their local histories and stories through artworks of this calibre. This work will encourage greater engagement with the new cycling routes and will help to animate the area for residents and visitors alike.”
Deputy Arts Officer for Public Art in Fingal, Caroline Cowley added, “John brings so much experience and generosity to the process of developing a work like this – from sharing beautiful sketches to genuinely listening to observations from the local community. We are very grateful that he will also deliver workshops to show the community how the work is made, as well as a masterclass for Balbriggan artists on his practice. We are so excited to introduce all of these elements in the realisation of this work.”
John Kindness is most widely known for his iconic placemaking work in Belfast – ‘The Big Fish’ – which tells the history of the docklands and continues to attract attention to this day. He is also a significant figure in Fingal County Council’s Public Art Collection, where several of his drawings, sculptural, and printed works are proudly displayed in County Hall, Swords.
Reflecting on the proposed work, John discussed his approach to this opportunity: “Although everybody in Balbriggan knows Harry Reynolds Road, few people will know much about the man it was named for. While it is not the artist’s job to document a person’s life, an artist can produce something that will create an image in people’s minds – and maybe encourage them to find out more.
The traditional portrait, if it is well observed, does this, and in some ways what I have designed is a kind of portrait of Harry Reynolds. There will be some images taken from photographic records of Harry on his bike. Those who do know of him will associate him with his cycling triumphs, but there was also Harry the operatic singer, the powerful swimmer, the close friend of Oliver Gogarty. He appears in numerous press cuttings – as a champion cyclist, a champion of Irish independence, a hero in a drowning incident, and in a more prosaic appearance in a police court (for cycling without lights).
This all began with the suggestion of a roundabout sculpture, but when I met with community members who were driving the project, we all agreed that this would be too inaccessible a location. I wanted to create something more intimate – something that would bring people up close so they could examine the details.
Harry’s Wall breaks into an existing wall with a traditional stone-built section that will act as an understated memorial to Reynolds. From a distance, specks of different colours will be seen among the stones, and on closer inspection these will turn out to be a variety of ceramic elements – in terracotta, blue and white stoneware, and low-relief tiles. Stonemason Jack Cripps will build the wall section, leaving recesses for the ceramic inclusions. I will be working with ceramics expert Gus Mabelson to create the tiles and other elements. All components will be fired at high temperatures so that they will withstand all weather conditions.”