New Creggan mural incorporates Seamus Heaney into Derry landscape

The mural has been created by Emic AKA Eoin McGinn, from Omagh, and depicts a young person wearing a hat with their head down and hands in their pockets, surrounded by birds and flowers. The mural has a pink hue surrounding it and Eoin says it was inspired by Seamus Heaney’s poem Blackberry Picking.

Eoin said: “The Gasyard got in touch about doing something on the walls and they left it pretty open. I spoke to Gareth Stewart about the area and he said there’s a very strong sense of community there and explained Bishop’s Field and that so I tried to come up with something that the community would appreciate there and represent the youth and growing up positively.

"When I was doing the research for design development, I was reading some Seamus Heaney poems and there’s one called Blackberry Picking, where Heaney is recalling his youth when he used to go out at the end of summer and pick blackberries. It’s basically a metaphor for him growing up. So, I thought that fitted well with Bishop’s Field being there and being such an important resource for the youth in the area. I centred the design around being in nature and growth and progress.”

The mural is located on Central Drive and replaces a mural dedicated to 75 years of the Creggan Estate last year. This is a Communities In Transition project by The Executive Office.