Building the Art Tunnel
The Art Tunnel was built from March to June 2012 by volunteers: Locals, Landscape Architecture and Art students as well as Probation Service/ IASIO clients.
The build was financed through crowd- funding and the County Council helped in kind through donation of men hours, machinery and plants.
The building process was slow but integrative- everyone could help and contribute, the Luas passengers watched the garden "grow" during their daily commute.
The clearing of the site was a mayor task, the site was littered with everything from tyres to syringes, a sign was warning to beware of rats...
The Dice Bar paid for the public liability insurance and became our "builders cabin"
At the end of June the Art Tunnel opened to the public, a party was held in an empty shop opposite, food and drinks were donated by the local restaurants and coffee shops: Cinnamon Caffee and Third Space as well as the Dice Bar.
We hope that the build of the Art Tunnel will encourage other groups to make us of temporarily disused lands. Please contact us if you need any advise or encouragment.
March 2014:
SADLY THE ART TUNNEL HAS TO CLOSE IN IT'S CURRENT LOCATION AS THE LEASE FOR THE GROUNDS HAS NOT BEEN EXTENDED.WE ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW LOCATION AND HOPE TO REOPEN SOON. BARE WITH US
Film about the Art Tunnel the day before closing party by Bryan O' Brian for the Irish Times:Irish Times website February 2014