Sábhaile Munna
Sábhaile Munna (2025) - A project using photography and experimental Irish crochet in response to spaces around Ballymun reflecting themes of climate action and environmental stewardship. The sculptural pieces are emblems of protection, adornment and grief, articulating anxieties around climate justice in the community of Ballymun. Jen highlighted the preciousness of biodiversity through art, not just as an aesthetic or utilitarian “resource”, but as an intrinsically valuable aspect of local and global environmental health; as an indicator of what is respected by the community; and as avatar of hope in a capitalist society which is increasingly sacrificing growing things.
Funded by the Ballymun is Brilliant Artist Bursary (2025) under Global Action Plan through the Creative Ireland Climate Action Fund.
The works were exhibited in Axis Ballymun in August of 2025.
262 Million to 12
Handmade plarn (plastic yarn hand-plied from plastic shopping bags) crocheted
Photographed in Poppintree Park and inspired by plastic littering in the water features of the park, these crocheted items - lily pads, swans, a polyethylene molecule, and a tote bag - made from plastic yarn, represent the tenuous relationship between modernity, disposable materials and our enjoyment of biodiversity.
The average use time of a plastic bag is 12 minutes while it takes half a century to break down and pollutes while it does so. Placed in the lake in Poppintree Park, home to iconic swan families and other wildlife, these pieces act as omens - plastic replications are all that could be left for us to remember these creatures and plants by if we fail to recognise the impact human activity has on our environment.
These items were made from approximately 80 plastic bags.
Braonta Fola
Wire and cotton yarn, crocheted
Photographed in various locations in Ballymun including Poppintree Park and the gate walls of one of the former 15-storey blocks, these “blood drops” serve as a caution from growing things - do not forget we can only survive together.
The technique of Irish crochet which these pieces were created through represents community in that pieces of lace are composed of individual “motifs”, such as skulls or flowers, that are then joined together to form a larger whole through chain stitches.
Talamh
Concrete featuring microgrowth found in Ballymun and crocheted cotton yarn
Featuring the title of the body of work “Sábhaile Munna” (“Save Ballymun”), this hybrid doily embodies a call from the land, both constructed and natural. This piece counterpoints the mix of natural growth and burned plastic of a burn pit found at the former site of the Shopping Centre in Ballymun. Dublin City Council barricades were among the burned items and the black ash has blended with much of the surrounding soil.
Three leaves crocheted at the Clones Lace School by the artist following a traditional Clones crochet lace pattern were placed in these ashes. Growth from destruction is a theme recurring in the work from this project.
Carraig Rós
Natural rock found in Ballymun and crocheted cotton
Featuring a traditional rose square Irish crochet pattern, this adornment of a piece of the neighbourhood I grew up in is a rebuke to increasingly concretised landscapes, and a small emblem of a failed regeneration - the loss of memory of place and community.
Crann Darach
Crocheted cotton and A2 photographic print
This sword-shaped large crochet lace piece consists of traditional Clones Irish crochet lace motifs as well as some contemporary and improvised shapes. Largely featuring oak leaves and acorns, this piece was developed to represent the oak trees that, as well as being Ireland’s national tree, is the tree featured most prominently in Poppintree Park.
The piece was completed as part of the Sábhaile Munna exhibition launch day where the artist invited attendees to contribute chain stitches which create the netting between the motifs. This participatory action deepened the work’s intent to represent community, and collective stewardship of our natural resources.
The finished piece was pinned to an A2 print of oak leaves and acorns from a large oak tree in Poppintree Park and exhibited as part of the Ballymun is Brilliant Final Celebration exhibition.
The Ballymun is Brilliant Artist Bursary was an invaluable opportunity for me to develop my artistic practice in the direction I had wanted to explore for some time. It gave me the time and resources to experiment and research.
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Thank you to the people who contributed stitches:
Cabbage & Kraut (Sarah & Maria)
John O’Donoghue
Niamh Ní Iceadh
Barbara Cole
Richard Cole
Nadia Mohamed
Elayne Adamczyk Harrington
Adam Mohamed