WATERFORD WALLS – NOVEMBER 2018

I said I was going to do something, and I went and did it. Eventually.

Regular readers will know that i’ve frequently commented on Waterford Walls, and how I would to visit Waterford to see it. Well, I did it, a short visit, Wednesday to Friday, doing lots of walking around the city and getting lots of photos of Street Art.

I would be getting a bus to Dublin and then a train to Waterford. That plan hit a bump when my bus was late by 25 minutes causing me to miss my train by 1 minute.

To top this off, my bus journey was on a free ticket I got as compensation for having to repurchase my ticket because the barcode wouldn’t read when I was travelling home from my last visit to Dublin.

I think i’ll avoid Dublin Coach in the future and just put up with hanging around Dublin Airport on Bus Eireann/Translink or Aircoach.

As you will have seen in my previous blog, I used those three hours in Dublin to hunt for some new Street Art that had appeared since my last visit in July.

So, what is Waterford Walls?

It’s a project which aims to transform Waterford into an open air art gallery. They hold an event in August when the pieces are painted, and then you can spend the rest of the year viewing the results.

They hold tours on a Saturday. Obviously, I wouldn’t be there on a Saturday, so I would have to navigate my way around the city myself.

Because of my delayed arrival in Waterford (just after 3pm) meant I didn’t have a lot of daylight to work with on the Wednesday, which made the delay even more frustrating.

So, Wednesday would be spent walking around the city to view the pieces I would be photographing later. A reconnaissance mission for Thursday and Friday, if you will.

I explored Waterford and took a wrong turn to a shopping centre on the periphery of the City Centre and spotted some Street Art. I’m a man, and asking for directions is for wimps.

Eventually, I made it into the City Centre. It’s a lot bigger than I expected, but also very compact and easy to navigate.

To get me started, there was a mural right outside my hotel. By coincidence, it was also featured on their Facebook page during my stay.

So, Thursday morning came, out bright and early, walking around the city, and getting as many photos as possible, as soon as I spot something and sometimes going off course.

I had the usual problems of parked cars in some locations, meaning I had to shoot from some weird angles.

There was even a Doggy Daycare Centre with a mural of dogs.

Regular readers will notice how some of the pieces are similar to those that were/are in Belfast, as they were done by the same artists.

There is also a piece by Joe Caslin which overlooks the city. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a decent photo of it, but you can see a write-up here.

Friday morning was spent mopping up. The weather was very dull which didn’t make for good photos.

On the Thursday, I also spent time walking along the start of Waterford Greenway. If I visit again, i’ll put some time aside to hire a bike and cycle along it as much as I can.

Despite the delays in arriving, it was an enjoyable trip. It’s a decent City Centre and lots of Street Art, which is all I really asked for.

Photo Album