Title of artwork: A Very Grand Canal
Artists: Geraldine O’Reilly, Eugene O’Brien, Veronica Nicholson, La Cosa Preziosa (Susanna Caprara), Wayne Brennan & Mixed Bag Media
Year: 2012
Commissioner: Offaly County Council
Funder: Per Cent for Arts Scheme
Per Cent for Arts Location: Grand Canal, Offaly
What does a historic waterway sound like, look like, feel like? A Very Grand Canal explores this question through a multi-layered public art project commissioned by Offaly County Council under the Per Cent for Arts Scheme. Bringing together artists from different disciplines—visual art, sound art, literature, music, photography, and film—the project reimagines the Grand Canal as both a cultural landmark and a source of creative inspiration.
From prints and sonic landscapes to a documentary film and site-specific photography, A Very Grand Canal is an expansive artistic response to the canal’s rich history and ongoing role in the communities of Offaly. Each work offers a distinct perspective, collectively forming a contemporary portrait of this vital waterway.
Inspiration
In 2011, Offaly County Council set out to explore the cultural potential of the Grand Canal, not just as a piece of infrastructure but as a living, breathing part of Ireland’s heritage. The goal was to use the Per Cent for Arts Scheme to celebrate the canal’s past, present, and future, highlighting its significance to local communities and its potential as a space for cultural tourism.
Three separate but interconnected projects were commissioned under the scheme:
- A series of eight prints depicting the history and legacy of the Grand Canal by Geraldine O’Reilly.
- Six Mooring and a Silent Thread, a sonic interpretation of the canal by La Cosa Preziosa (Susanna Caprara), comprising six 10-minute soundscapes capturing the voices and flow of the waterway.
- A Grand Experience, a documentary film produced by Mixed Bag Media, following three artists—writer Eugene O’Brien, photographer Veronica Nicholson, and musician Wayne Brennan—as they journeyed along the canal, creating work in response to their experience.
Each of these projects took inspiration from the canal itself—its movement, its people, and its evolving role in the landscape of Offaly.
Process
The centrepiece of A Very Grand Canal was A Grand Experience, a five-day journey along the canal aboard the historic 68M Barge. As the boat travelled from Shannon Harbour to Edenderry, the film crew, radio producers, and artists onboard documented their experiences, meeting local communities and capturing the essence of life along the waterway.
The resulting 74-minute documentary film, directed by Garrett Daly and produced by Martina McGlynn of Mixed Bag Media, follows the three artists as they translate their experiences into their respective mediums:
- Eugene O’Brien wrote The Greaser, a short story inspired by the canal’s characters and landscapes.
- Veronica Nicholson created The Guerrillas of Love Light Comes Through, featuring five large photographic prints of the 68M at night, a light installation, and a stop-motion animation.
- Wayne Brennan composed Roots in These Lands, a song reflecting the journey’s emotional and historical depth.
Meanwhile, printmaker Geraldine O’Reilly produced a series of eight detailed prints exploring the canal’s history and cultural significance, and sound artist La Cosa Preziosa developed Six Mooring and a Silent Thread, an immersive sonic portrait of the canal’s sounds and rhythms.
These projects did not simply document the canal—they invited audiences to engage with it in new ways. The soundscapes encouraged listeners to hear the water’s movement and human presence; the photography and prints captured its visual identity; the music and literature evoked the stories embedded within its banks.
Collaboration
A Very Grand Canal was not a single artwork but a network of artistic responses, connected by a shared curiosity about place and history. The collaboration between different artistic disciplines—visual art, film, sound, music, literature—allowed for a multifaceted approach that spoke to different audiences in different ways.
The project also engaged with local communities along the canal, ensuring that the people who live and work beside the waterway were a key part of the narrative. The five-day journey of A Grand Experience was filled with encounters, conversations and interactions, all of which fed into the resulting artworks.
As a touring exhibition, A Very Grand Canal brought these artistic responses back to the public. The exhibition launched at Waterways Ireland Visitors Centre in Dublin during the 2012 Dublin Tall Ships Festival before travelling to Waterways Ireland Headquarters in Enniskillen. Additional exhibitions took place in Offaly, Dublin and Athlone.
Beyond these scheduled events, the artworks have had a lasting life: the documentary film was screened on RTÉ in October 2012, reaching over 565,000 viewers; Roots in These Lands continues to be performed by Wayne Brennan; and the prose and visual artworks remain in circulation, ensuring an ongoing cultural exchange beyond the project’s initial run.
About the artists
A Very Grand Canal brought together a diverse group of artists, each contributing their own perspective to the project:
Mixed Bag Media (Martina McGlynn & Garrett Daly) is an award-winning film production company based in Offaly, specialising in documentary and storytelling. Their film A Grand Experience was a central piece of the project.
Geraldine O’Reilly is an acclaimed printmaker and visual artist, elected to Aosdána for her contribution to the arts in Ireland. She has exhibited internationally and was awarded the Per Cent for Art commission for A Very Grand Canal in 2011.
Eugene O’Brien is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, best known for Eden and Pure Mule. His short story The Greaser reflects his deep connection to Irish narratives and rural life.
Veronica Nicholson is a photographer and digital artist whose work explores themes of place and identity. She holds a Master’s in Art in the Digital World from NCAD.
La Cosa Preziosa (Susanna Caprara) is a Dublin-based sound artist and field recordist, known for her immersive soundscapes. Her work for A Very Grand Canal captured the aural textures of the waterway.
Wayne Brennan is a singer-songwriter from Offaly, winner of the RTÉ/RAAP Bursary Award in 2012. His song Roots in These Lands was composed as part of A Very Grand Canal.
Legacy
A Very Grand Canal demonstrates how public art can take many forms—print, film, sound, literature, music—and how multiple disciplines can come together to create a rich, layered response to a place.
As a Per Cent for Arts commission, the project highlights the versatility of the scheme, showing that public art is not limited to sculptures or murals but can be an evolving, multi-platform exploration of cultural heritage.
Though the original exhibitions have concluded, the works continue to reach new audiences through screenings, performances, and online platforms. The documentary remains a valuable historical record of life along the Grand Canal, while the soundscapes, music, and literature ensure that the spirit of the waterway continues to flow into new creative spaces.