The artist line-up and full programme for Ireland’s largest street art festival, Waterford Walls, has been released, with an electric line-up of 34 world-class artists travelling to transform the city over ten days of live mural painting, music, art trails, and community events.

The event returns to the city August 8-17, with a jam-packed schedule. And, keeping with the hub of creativity that fuels an event like this, 2025’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever. This year, world-famous artists are bringing their skills from all around the globe. International highlights include Rocket01 (UK), Nerone (France), and KMG (Scotland), whose large-scale murals will join Waterford’s growing collection of world-renowned street art.

This year also brings with it some total newness; citywide art trails led by stencil artist Dotmasters (UK) and tile installation artist Blackdoors (France) will offer festival-goers a unique way to explore hidden corners of Waterford through playful, smaller-scale interventions. For locals, consider this a way to see your city like never before. And for tourists, what a way to discover a Waterford not found on the map.

The beating heart of the festival is undoubtedly the Festival Hub. Located at the Forum, a series of events will centre around it, including live music, craft beer courtesy of Number 21, and a rotating selection of local food trucks. Consider this your vibrant gathering point for artists, locals, and visitors alike.

Other programme highlights include the much-anticipated Street Party at Pocket Park on Saturday, August 16, which will see Thomas Street come alive with an open-air celebration of street culture. Festival-goers can also enjoy live painting sessions, breakdancing performances from Rhythm Walls, and a full line-up of DJs playing all afternoon. Elsewhere, festival-favourite Graffiti Jam is back, bringing together some of Ireland’s top graffiti artists for a day of spontaneous creativity and large-scale collaboration. Meanwhile, the Culture Connect programme will offer a deeper look into the world of street art through a series of talks, film screenings, and interactive public events, inviting audiences to engage with the stories, politics, and people behind the paint. What does street art really mean, you ask? Here is where you find out.

“Each year, Waterford Walls brings new energy, colour, and conversation to the city. 2025 is no different; with world-class talent, new interactive experiences, and more ways than ever to connect with the art and the artists,” festival director Gabe McGuinness shared. “We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Waterford this August.”

Naturally, we’re more than a little excited ourselves. Waterford Walls is always a big hit at Fitzgerald Power Towers, and we can’t wait to see what’s ahead for our city. “We’re delighted to be sponsoring this year’s festival. My family and I look forward to it every year!” Fitzgerald Power CEO, Stuart Fitzgerald, says. “Innovation and creativity are central to our business, so to see it so clearly happen all along the walls of our city is really spectacular. We can’t wait to see what these brilliant artists come up with, and hope that the people of Waterford will come out in droves to support them.”

Waterford Walls is proudly supported by Waterford City and County Council, The Arts Council, and Creative Ireland. 2025 headline sponsors are Fitzgerald Power, Fewer Harrington, Colourtrend, and Montana Cans. For full programme details, artist bios, and the latest updates, visit www.waterfordwalls.ie or check out their individual socials.

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In Fitzgerald Power’s interview series, we’re speaking to people with different perspectives who feel they can offer more to the workplace, from the water cooler all the way up to C-Suite.

Everything changed for Tammy Darcywhen she turned 14. “The first 13 years were great, but the next weren’t so much,” she says via Zoom from her Waterford home. As she entered her second year of secondary school, a series of events took place that changed the course of her life forever. “It was one of those perfect storms of family life being really hectic and stressful, and school life being really hectic and stressful, and just kind of living in survival mode at all times.” Darcy’s family had already dealt with their fair share of trauma – one of her sisters passed away when their family was young, deeming the question of “how many siblings do you have?” more difficult to answer – but it was when her parents decided to separate that Darcy felt the world crumble under her feet. “That was really, really stressful,” she says. “At that age, you notice the way the adults around you are acting, and yet are still doubting yourself because they’re the ones that are supposed to have all the answers.”

During that same year, Darcy’s older sister Shona, 15 to her 14, began showing signs of serious illness. “Our parents didn’t really make us aware of it,” she says. “But she was struggling with school, her balance, her ability to retain information. She was getting confused, like she’d tell you a story, and then tell you the same thing a few minutes later. And then this one day, she had been out on her bike, and all of a sudden somebody pulled up to the house in a car with her in the front and her bike in the boot. She’d literally just fallen off the bike in front of them, and they brought her home. Another time, we were on a walk and her legs stopped working. Things escalated very quickly from there.” Shona was eventually diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malformations, a type of acquired brain injury which saw her health deteriorate and doctors diagnose an end-of-life date within the year. Mercifully, she fought expectations, living for another 30 years, but the stress of that time caused profound effects on her younger sister, Tammy. “I was a straight-A student, captain of every team, the most popular kid in the class, until that year,” she says. “And then, because of those challenges that I faced, I wasn’t even going to school by the end of the year. I was quite seriously bullied and completely isolated from my friends. I didn’t trust anybody. I had a really bad attitude. I had a lot of anger, and ended up doing all the textbook rebellious things: black nails, goth phases, all the rest. I didn’t have any self-worth and got into relationships and friendships with people who didn’t treat me very well. It took me a long time to come back from that, and I’m really lucky that I did because a lot of girls and women don’t.”

At 18, Tammy became pregnant. “I didn’t go to college directly after school, because I couldn’t,” she says now. “It’s a tricky thing to remember that time – and I do think your memories can deceive you – because it was incredibly hard. Nothing feels difficult after that. I was a single parent, too, which made things all the more difficult. But it was also the best thing that ever happened to me.” She returned to education at 25, graduating with an honours degree in Human Resources Management, followed by an MA in Business Management in Social Enterprise a few years later. However, despite enjoying her work and landing a great career, Darcy felt a calling from deep within her. She felt that had she had the right support, information, and guidance when she really needed it, she may have been better equipped to overcome the challenges she faced as a teen. “It was something I always thought about,” she says. “I probably had been thinking about it for five years before I said anything to anyone.” Then, one day, in the middle of her Masters of Education course, she was asked to do a micro-teaching session. “We had to come up with a workshop and deliver it to the class. Of course, I already had nearly word for word decided what I would do. Afterwards, everyone in my class said I should be doing that for a living. So, I called my husband and asked him to meet me to discuss it. Now, my husband would be quite risk-averse, so I expected him to bring up worries or talk about the insecurity of it all. So, when he said I needed to be doing this, I thought… Oh crap, this is really happening.”

Darcy began brainstorming, thinking during every spare minute she had, and making plans. “I began reaching out to schools and working with teachers, and in 2017, I went part-time at work. I thought about marketing, accounts, funding… I applied for a fund in 2018, which allowed me to leave work and pay my salary for a year, which was a huge opportunity. So I took a year off work and set up The Shona Project for two years on my own. Then I got one employee, then two, then three… And as of this month, we have 11 employees. And, as well as that, in the last year we reached 180,000 girls. So it has been that fast in terms of growth. That said, it’s not all about numbers. I set The Shona Project up because I really felt that was what I needed in my time of need was somebody to simply check up on me. That’s all it took, I didn’t need to be saved or whatever – I just needed guidance, direction and a listening ear.”

The Shona Project is an award-winning organisation which provides support and mentorship to young women and girls in Ireland. Covering topics like mental health, bullying, body issues, self-esteem, relationships, medical concerns and school and exams, it tackles young woman-centric issues head-on by way of school workshops, community visits, festivals and ambassador and mentorship programmes, something they’ve just launched in recent months. “Our mission is to educate, empower and inspire today’s Irish girls to become tomorrow’s strong, confident and curious young women,” she says. “When you think about how girls are influenced, it’s in school and online. So, we’ve created a voice which allows them to feel empowered – and one that ensures someone else’s standards do not define them. It’s very much a movement driven by the girls, but we’re growing in lots of different ways. Some of our programs are more about raising awareness and challenging perceptions, while others are about deep, impactful, life-changing interventions. Ultimately, we hope that the girls we work with through those interventions will, in turn, go out and be the same level of influence in their communities and create the same change that we’ve managed to facilitate for them, too.”

Over the years, Darcy’s work has been recognised nationally and internationally for its huge importance. In 2021, she took home the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year and, in 2024 she was announced as a European Leader with The Obama Foundation. She regularly appears on TV, radio, podcasts and newspapers and has been invited to speak to royalty about her work. She is also a published author and released her first book, You’ve Got This, a resource for young women in 2021. “I’m always doing a course of some description,” she laughs, as I ask her how she does it all. “I graduated as a celebrant last year, I’ve done courses in Technology Transfer and Patenting, and loads of other accelerator courses on Social Change and Social Impact. And I’m on another program at the moment. So yeah, every year I’m doing something, because I feel like at the rate at which The Shona Project is growing, I need to grow at that rate to be able to keep up with it and to do it justice.”

The Shona Project recently undertook an enormously extensive survey to find out just what exactly it’s like to be a young girl today – and what exactly might be needed to help. “The findings might be quite stark for some people, but they’re not surprising to us,” Darcy says. “Obviously, confidence, pressure, mental health, and specifically anxiety, are huge challenges. But so are rivalry, judgment and exclusion. We see a lot of girls just basically in survival mode, like I was back in the day. It was bad before the pandemic, but it’s been hugely exacerbated ever since. You know, if you think about a girl’s experience daily, she can feel horrified, helpless, worried, insecure, scared and untrusting before she even gets out of bed in the morning. She’s looking for opportunities, but doesn’t see them, and she knows that she will have to fight harder and be louder, better, and quicker off the mark than her male counterparts. And then, on social media, she sees anywhere between 6000-10,000 adverts that are going to tell her that she’s not good enough. These things can look small, but when you put them all together, it’s like a perfect storm of bombardment and brainwashing that you’re just never going to be good enough.” To counteract this, Darcy says a complete overhaul of how we look at, talk to and consider young women and girls has to happen first. “What we have to do is be louder than that, and be that voice that’s constantly there, reminding them to challenge those messages, even just to be aware of them. Many of them are subliminal, and we meet so many parents who just really are not equipped to deal with this.”

So, what’s a parent, teacher or member of society who wants to help to do? “Number one, talk to them,” Darcy says. “Not in a judgy way. And also, actually, as parents, I think we tend to panic and minimise – I’ve done it myself because I go to the worst-case scenario. So, I think listen, don’t judge and be genuinely curious about their experiences. Secondly, educate yourself. It’s hard, because things change so fast with social media, with news cycles and everything… But just make sure you’re educated. And then the other thing I would say is to inflate their confidence as much as you possibly can. We kind of come from a culture in Ireland where we don’t want to give anyone an ego, so people can find that hard, but inflating their confidence is so important – because the second they go out the door, that confidence will be chipped away at bit by bit. So don’t think that you can overdo it, and really just focus on highlighting as much as you can. Highlight what you think is great or interesting about them, and focus on their strengths. Because that trickles down into everything they do, and impacts everybody. So if we want to see more female leaders in the world, this is how we do it.”

A group of female Fitzgerald Power employees have signed up to The Shona Project’s mentorship programme, a national initiative for senior cycle secondary school girls who are seeking positive role models and career inspiration. Running over 9 months, those involved will meet with their mentee monthly online to give focused support and build trusting relationships with inspirational working women. For more information, check out the details of the programme here.

For more information on Tammy, check out her LinkedIn here, or find out more about The Shona Project on their website here

The post An interview with: Tammy Darcy appeared first on Fitzgerald Power.

At a time when the creative industries are suffering, we’ve decide to put our money where our mouth is and commission an art piece around Waterford that speaks to hope.

The piece is by an Irish artist called Zippy, whose work can be seen across Europe (including a commission for Vans, and on the Peace Wall in Belfast) is a particularly inspiring individual, and the perfect fit for what we’re trying to say.

We chose the above quote as we think it says it all; how it takes a village to get anything done correctly, and how every single member of the Fitzgerald Power team continues to push the growth and development of the organisation as a whole.

It’s something we’ve begun saying to ourselves regularly, and we encourage you to do the same.

“The creative work going on in Ireland, and particularly in Waterford, at the minute has been nothing short of exemplary,” CEO Stuart Fitzgerald says. “And it’s been quite the reminder of how important everyone is as pieces of the puzzle. We chose this quote, painted by the incredible Zippy, to remind us of that – how the collective is as important as the individual, and, as my young daughter would say, we’re all in this together.”

Check out the video below for more information on the installation and the artist involved.

For more information on Waterford Walls, check out their website!

For more information on Zippy and her work, check out her Instagram!

The post Waterford Walls – Fitzgerald Power Office Carpark Installation appeared first on Fitzgerald Power.

Just last week, as a wedding took place in the city of Waterford, the bride and groom requested a photo in front of Spanish artist David Maker’s new mural on the wall of the Fitzgerald Power building. It’s not an unusual request – Maker notices people look at, comment upon and take photographs of his work all the time – but the vista made him think: what does street art mean for those who live around it? “It’s all about a better understanding and appreciation for the place in which they live,” he tells Fitzgerald Power. “The piece that the couple chose to take photographs in front of on their special day is actually my most successful project to date – as I had the time to explore and develop the concept and to concentrate on the details in the mural. Which is fitting, given their day.”

In 2022, the Waterford-based public arts agency Street Art Ink team commissioned Maker to paint a maritime-themed artwork celebrating Waterford’s rich heritage in shipbuilding and as a busy port. The artwork reads like a blueprint of a steamship from long ago in Waterford and has a multitude of lifebuoys each with the name of a Waterford steamship. Waterford in general, and Dungarvan in particular, has long had its own ship-building tradition, with famed apothecary, topographer, and writer Charles Smith writing in 1746 noted that “Dungarvan abounds with a good number of the largest boats in the kingdom.” The main period of shipbuilding in Dungarvan was between the mid-18th century and the mid-19th century; the former shipyard was thought to have been above the bridge where the new civic offices are now situated. The main shipbuilders in the city were the Kidneys, Risbills, Thompsons and O’Mahoneys. In 1848 Michael O’Mahoney built one of the largest shops, “The Jamestown”. Many were employed in
associated trades such as sailmaking, blockmaking, shipwrights, and ship chandlers. One of the best known of the old Dungarvan photographers at the time, Edmund Keohan, wrote in 1924: ‘Dungarvan turned out many vessels which were constructed above where the bridge now spans the river and a century ago ship carpenters were almost always employed in this industry….gradually the trade fell away and the men were employed in repairing vessels. Now the tradesmen are gone and it is but seldom that the graving bank (on the causeway, an area for the repair of boats) is occupied with a vessel needing repairs’.

To commemorate and celebrate this rich maritime heritage, Street Art Ink has committed to basing all its public artwork over the next 5 years on the maritime theme and heritage of Waterford and Ireland. Maker’s stunning piece on the Fitzgerald Power building launches Street Art Ink’s latest national maritime and arts programme-Floating Voices, which consists of four strands; a maritime walking tour in Waterford City; an audio-visual trail with QR codes in multiple locations across Waterford. The third and fourth strands of Floating Voices will be starting in Waterford and travelling across Ireland. The intergenerational programme is where younger and older groups work with our artist team to design and create a maritime-themed mural in their locality. And finally, the fourth strand of Floating Voices is themobile open-air floating museum that acts as an Artist in Residency. This is where artists and reside on a repurposed barge and work with communities living near Irish waterways to create public artworks around themes of Climate Change and maritime heritage. Street Art Ink aims to launch this fourth strand of Floating Voices in late 2023/early 2024.
“We frequently speak about how proud we are to be based in Waterford, and so we’re delighted to be a small part of something so intrinsically local, albeit with national scale,” Managing Partner Stuart Fitzgerald says of the programme. “This isn’t our first time to work with incredibly talented street artists in Waterford City and it certainly won’t be the last. Investing in the local community and supporting creative endeavors is extremely important to all of us at Fitzgerald Power. The piece that David has created is truly spectacular and we look forward to collaborating with Street Art Ink again in the future.”

For Maker, the impact of his work will live on for the people of Waterford for a long time. “The pieces of my art that I’m most proud of are the ones on large buildings and in public spaces,” he says. “I think they have the most impact on the public, while also celebrating the rich history and heritage of the area.” As for his advice for those looking to inspire creativity in the everyday? “Work hard, practice and believe in what you do.”

You can find more of Maker’s work on his Instagram, @david.maker.

From all of us here at Fitzgerald Power, we would like to thank David Maker and his team, Street Art Ink and everyone involved in revitalising our building over the last few weeks. Come check out our Greyfriars building today.

The post Writing On The Wall: A Chat With David Maker, The Muralist Who Designed For Fitzgerald Power appeared first on Fitzgerald Power.

The work of Alex Senna, the Brazillian street artist who has recently been commissioned by the Waterford Walls Project, could, in one sense, be called classical. Like the Old Masters, he meticulously layers paint onto his canvas, lending the image a radiant depth. In his latest artwork, though, located at 194 Ballybeg Square, Waterford just beside SETU, Senna plays with a more modern, localised style, inspired by the resident, Mariam and her family, as well as the house on the figure’s jumper and the skyline of Waterford City.

Born in 1982 in Orlândia, Senna’s work creates vivid expressions of human love, romance, and relationships through youthful black-and-white illustrations. Combining the languages of illustration, comics, and graffiti from the 1990s, he builds a playful, almost poetic narrative, giving his works strong popular appeal. Self-taught, Senna never underwent formal education, leading comics to serve as his textbooks and artists like Moebius, Quino, Charles Burns, David Clowes, Mauricio de Sousa, Walt Disney and Will Eisner as his teachers. Forming his style as a mix of many different approaches and emotions, his favourite themes to explore on city walls are daily life, politics, melancholy, and love. He hopes to evoke a thinking process with his art and allow people to reflect and ponder on all the possible meanings.

His murals, observing human relations loaded with emotional baggage and intertwined with satire, have in recent years lent a cartoon-like look to the streets of São Paulo (and many others). Using symbols taken from the imagination of children – hearts, musical notes, balloons, birds – Senna adds colour to his art which is markedly colourless. Colorblind, Senna works monochromatically. By transposing his sketches to city walls around the globe he ignites urban settings with feelings of love and happiness by exposing his viewers to the intimate lives of his characters. The art’s resonating black and white tones make his messages come across as simple, clear, and straight from the heart. (All the small stories are interconnected, he insists, and if one pays close attention, the threads that link them together come to light.)

Waterford Walls boasts a similar message. A social enterprise that delivers large-scale public artworks and outreach projects, Waterford Walls aims to impact communities through artistic collaborations. Their work engages with communities and students via community and educational outreach workshops all centred around one main goal: connecting diverse people and communities both in Ireland and internationally. Together with supporters, collaborators and volunteers, the team at Waterford Walls exists simply to break down the barriers between art and communities and to celebrate street art as a powerful tool in urban regeneration.

Senna, in many ways, is a perfect fit. His work has exhibited and painted murals in cities in more than 25 countries such as the US, Canada, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Hong Kong, England, Denmark, Israel, Russia, Holland, France, Italy and Germany among many others. And today, Waterford stands among them with pride. We spoke with Senna to figure out what draws him to street art, and what inspires him to pick up a brush.

1. What do you hope that the general public will get from your street art?

My art is about common people, local issues and local stories. It reflects me and the local context.

2. What advice would you give budding young street artists trying to build a career for themselves?

Don’t give up, trust the process and don’t follow trends.

3. What pieces of work of yours are you most proud of?

My last ones.

4. What inspired you to create this particular piece?

Local context plus my imaginary world.

5. Where has your artwork been published in the media?

Magazines, newspapers, and videos from all over the world.

6. What do you consider your most successful project?

Solo show in the South Korean Contemporary Museum.

7. Where can people follow you and find out more about your work?

My website: www.alexsenna.com.br and @alexsenna at Instagram

Our sponsorship: “We’re delighted to feature some of Alex’s beautiful, thought-provoking work right in our hometown,” Stuart Fitzgerald said of the addition. “Fitzgerald Power’s core identity has always had innovation and creativity at the helm, so to see something so tangibly creative just outside SETU, is really brilliant. We sponsored the piece because we felt it was a prime location for students and young people to learn from Waterford Walls’ stellar work. What better place to capture the young minds of Waterford? We are thrilled to play a tiny part in such a captivating project.

Information about the Waterford Walls Festival, artist announcements and much more can be found at their Linktree here. Alex Senna’s previous work can be found on his Instagram, here.

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Our chosen wall is in the SETU campus and was painted by Halfstudio, a duo whose work is truly extraordinary. We chose the location based on the fact that we think students are the future (okay, Whitney Houston) not to mention a part of the furniture here in Fitzgerald Power. A big part of what we do is based around nurturing young talent, and we’re looking to continue gaining as much as we give from the young people all around us.

“The Graduate Programme is the backbone of Fitzgerald Power,” Stuart Fitzgerald, CEO says. “The talent we get every year is extraordinary. Sometimes it feels like we’re the ones in training when it comes to what our graduates show us!

“We’re also thrilled to link up with Waterford Walls again this year. The creativity we see in this festival year after year knows no bounds, and we think we can speak on behalf of the whole city when we say that these artists are nothing short of inspiring. Long may it last.”

Check out the video below for more information on the installation and the artists involved.

For more information on Waterford Walls, check out their website!

For more information on our Graduate Programme, check out our website!

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In Fitzgerald Power’s interview series, we’re speaking to people with different perspectives who feel they can offer more to the workplace, from the water cooler all the way up to the C-Suite.

When Matt Smith of Hometree (the charity set to conserve permanent native woodland in Ireland while encouraging land regeneration and biodiversity through afforestation, restoration and education) first searched for meaning, or rather what meaning meant to him, the year was 2013. At that stage, the Cornwall native had been based on the West Coast of Clare for several years, surfing Atlantic waves and making sense of a post-Celtic Tiger Ireland. A big wave surfer, the decision to move where some of the best waves in the world are was a no-brainer – it just made sense. “I had been planting organic vegetables for some time, and around that time we had just opened it up to a tree planting day,” he smiles over Zoom. “It was only then that I realised, I was in my late twenties and I had never planted a tree before – no one had ever encouraged me to. Climate change and deforestation had been talked about for years by then and no one has encouraged me or any of my other friends to do so.” Smith was moved by the experience, so much so he wanted to bring it to others – so that they could sense that power in themselves. “It started with a bag of seeds and that’s it,” he says now. “Until we got to 2019, where the land we owned (the land around the house he was renting) was filled with trees. So from then, we bought a headquarters closer to an urban area, in Ennistymon, found a number of people who wanted to get their hands dirty, and the journey has just continued from there.”

Hometree, started in County Clare by Smith and several others, is keen to share that Ireland was once a land of forests. With their 700 acres dispersed across Ireland, the team behind the tree-planting charity has big plans: to put themselves out of business by restoring uplands from Donegal to Kerry as native rainforests by way of planting or allowing natural reafforestation. It sounds like a big task, but Smith feels an impetus to say it centres around several little tasks. Growing up by the sea and surrounded by nature, his journey to finding meaning has always brought him back to the land, something he contributes to “clear, tangible outcomes”. “My first job out of school was lifeguarding,” he says. “And I found that so rewarding. I mean, I was in it for the money, but being outside and working with the earth just felt really good. And then after that, I went sailing for seven or eight years. Then I started planting vegetables and began wondering what the connection was between them all – and there just seemed to be a really clear outcome; it was all about working with the land and not against it. And that’s not to say I was doing anything enormous. Like, if you look at the land we have on Google Maps now, one swipe of the finger and you’ll miss us. That doesn’t mean to say it’s not important. And I think that’s a lot of what we’re trying to get across. You don’t have to be moving mountains for things to be of importance.”

In a world of corporate myopia, planting trees has long been a symbol of antlike forethought. A frequent saying on the websites of tree-planting companies is a venerable so-called Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second-best time is today.” Planting trees became even more morally robust with the realisation of the threats posed by anthropogenic climate change. What had been one of the trees’ most mundane features – that they are composed largely of carbon – became one of their most important. From a business point of view, the inclusion of sustainable practices in corporate manifestos is today downright necessary, as the consumer shows more and more how purposeful and transparent practices mean to them. There is a fear with this, however, that the opposite is being done; that mere lip service is paid and words are simply put on paper. Smith understands this and urges (extremely non-judgmentally) for business owners to reconsider how “meaning lies within”. “How can I tell someone what’s meaningful for them?” he laughs. “I can just maybe encourage them to kind of really try and understand the why or help them align their commitment, but that’s the difference between intention and impact. When a business comes in, they’re like, you know, we’re really interested in sustainability – it’s a really big part of what we do. Oftentimes, none of these words are clear. I’m serious about going to the gym every week, but that doesn’t mean I go. For me, I try to get things down to the root. As soon as we call a spade a spade, then we can start helping each other. Until then, it’s all just intention.”

Even if they did not mean to, the average consumer is likely to have contributed to the global tree-planting movement through their purchases. Trees are offered as a bonus alongside many goods and services, including nut milk, CBD oil, reusable menstrual pads, yoga mats, healing crystals, Coldplay tickets, debit cards, search engines and recycled journals. “Climate change is an issue that is much bigger than one person, but when we work together, we can make a difference,” Amazon declared in a recent blog post announcing that the company was donating $1 million in $1 trees. Any of these things could inspire a burgeoning climate activist to down tools and get their hands dirty. Whatever way it happens, Smith and his team would be happy to have you. “These things are journeys, not destinations,” he concludes. “Acknowledge the different things that are working for you. Whether that’s buying organically-grown food free from pesticides, which kill, or just trying out a vegetarian diet – you don’t have to commit to it, just try it out. And listen, I understand that these things aren’t possible for everyone. It can be hard to try to buy organic vegetables in the supermarket when they’re twice the price. Once again, it’s all about meaning. And all about whatever works for you.”

Late last year, Hometree launched The Wild Atlantic Rainforest Restoration Project, a project seeking to restore temperate rainforests (learn more: What Makes a Woodland a Rainforest?) through three primary strategies: facilitating natural regeneration by removing grazing pressure, fencing off remnant pockets of forest to allow for their expansion, and planting trees where there is a strong ecological rationale to do so. Now the Rainforest Project is moving on to its next phase: a new site in County Sligo. “The potential is huge,” Smith says. The Rainforest Project is in many ways Hometrees’ moonshot – bigger and more ambitious than anything they have ever done. Thus, they are borrowing money to make it happen.

A project the first of its kind; this will be the first of Hometree’s woodland creation sites that have been made possible by grassroots contributions. This scale of this undertaking will require a broader network of public, private, and corporate partners. Temperate rainforests resonate strongly with the public, and Matt believes the impact of this project and the commitment of its supporters will be heard about in every home in Ireland, well, that’s his wish anyway.

To donate to Hometree (“whether that’s €1 or a hundred bucks, we’re delighted”), you can do so here: https://www.hometree.ie/support

The post An interview with: Matt Smith of Hometree appeared first on Fitzgerald Power.

Few things change a street like graffiti. Street art enables artists to claim space, display their creativity and transform space in unexpected ways. It also drives tourism as exemplified by programs such as Mural Festival in Montreal and Waterford Walls here at home.

Street art, graffiti and public paintings are made for the people, which is why we’ve commissioned an artist with the same vision as us to create something inspiring for the people of our city. From the eNVious crew, meet South African graffiti artist Mister Copy.

Hi Mister Copy! Tell us about the impact of your work on businesses, do owners notice an increase in footfall both inside and outside their building after you paint your art?

Art and business are a really powerful couple. A study from a Paris marketing firm discovered that a hand-painted mural versus sign-printed advertising is nearly 100% more effective in catching the eye of the public. I have also personally been asked to return and paint a second mural for many businesses due to its praise and value from business owners, so I highly recommend a hand-painted logo or mural to any business owner looking for something new and interesting.

What does art mean to you?

Art is my life, it’s what I love and live, it’s how I make my money and it offers me the opportunity to travel the world. I am fortunate to be a part of this powerful movement of street art and I am grateful for the way the world is moving in appreciating the movement of street art.

What do you hope the general public will get from your street art?

My street art is more than just a pretty image, it’s about a story too. First of all, I wish for people of all ages to stop and appreciate the large artwork in front of them. From the young children passing by to the older couple who are against graffiti, I wish for them all to stop and appreciate the beauty. Second is the message, I wish for my art to tell a story – it doesn’t necessarily have to translate to the message I am delivering but I want for people to question the story and make their own message from it! This is the power of art.

What pieces of work of yours are you most proud of?

I am proud of many artworks and of course not so proud of some of them. I noticed that if an artist is given the freedom to create what he/she wants, the artwork tends to give better energy and comes out better because more love is put into it. My favourite artwork to this day was a piece I did in Rotterdam based on the goddess “Aphrodite- love and seduction “

What inspired you to create this piece for Fitzgerald Power?

I love mythology and folklore and of course, Ireland has a very strong heritage in tales of folklore, I discovered the tale of “ The Children of Lir” it’s a beautiful message with a bit of darkness yet beauty. This combination stands to create a powerful epic message within the art and I hope this can be seen on the mural! A bit of magic mixed with sadness, power and movement. I was also impressed to discover that this story is the origin of the famous swan lake ballet.

Where has your street art been published in the media?

Well, I have been lucky to be in many books and street art magazines, I have been involved in the marketing for Paris Saint Germain football club as well as interviews for television and involved in film backdrops and billboard brands.

What do you consider your most successful project?

In terms of money – I was lucky to complete a huge project for the Washington DC government. In terms of enjoyment – I was lucky enough to paint my wife as a goddess on a huge building in the Netherlands.

What other Irish businesses have you created your art for?

I have never painted in Ireland before so Fitzgerald Power is the first business to have my artwork in Ireland. I would be more than happy to do more work in Ireland as I love the people and the country and lifestyle. I am just a short flight away so any businesses are more than welcome to reach out to me!

Where can people follow you on social media?

You can find me on Instagram at @mister_copy. Thank you!

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Public art transforms spaces, connects people and revitalises its surroundings. Street art, graffiti and public paintings are made for the people, which is why we’ve commissioned an artist with the same vision as us to create something inspiring for the people of our city. With a 20-year history in the game, meet North Louth artist Omin

Hi Omin! Tell us about the impact of your work on businesses, do owners notice an increase in footfall both inside and outside their building after you paint your art?

Large-scale artwork attracts a lot of attention. Of course, each piece is site specific. Due to the nature of this type of art, it can stop people in their tracks. It gives them time to think, reflect, and even question their previous perceptions of art in the public realm. I hope this piece brings your building lots of positive attention:)

What does art mean to you?

Art is very important to me. I feel the need to create daily; if I don’t there is something missing… I love having art within my surroundings, within my home, and it is an extra bonus if I encounter it in the street.

What do you hope the general public will get from your street art?

Sometimes it is the unexpected encounter that can have the most impact. For this Catherine Street building piece, it is in a ‘not so obvious location’ – up on a second story above a shop. So this can be a welcome surprise for the passer-by, somebody sitting in traffic or strolling up the road.

What pieces of work of yours are you most proud of?

I am very proud of this piece as I used a photo I took of my son Jules as a reference and worked him into the overall composition. I am trying to use my own reference material these days as I feel the work has more originality and a more personal connection.

What inspired you to create this piece for Fitzgerald Power?

On receiving the images of the location I was instantly eager. The shape of the building and its location really dictate how the artwork will sit. These factors play a big part in how the piece interacts with its surroundings. Having the elevation plans really helped with creating the layout and approach for this piece too.

Where has your street art been published in the media?

Most recently I have had my artwork published in Irish Country Magazine, Fáilte Ireland and Cork Beo – I’ve shared them all on my social media.

What do you consider your most successful project?

It’s hard to say but I am pretty proud of the work I have done over the past three years in my hometown of Dundalk with SEEK Contemporary Urban Arts Festival. I was the lead creative on the project and curator. Through my connections, this gave me the opportunity to invite some of the top national and International artists to paint in Dundalk and in the process it has transformed the visual landscape of the town.

What other Irish businesses have you created your art for?

As soon as I finished the wall at Fitzgerald Power I was off to Cork to complete a commission piece for the soon-to-be-opened Iconic Offices along the quays. They have a number of premises in Dublin where I have also produced a few interior murals and hung artwork.

Where can people follow you on social media?

You can find me on Instagram at @ominous_omin. Thanks!

From all of us here at Fitzgerald Power, we would like to thank Omin and his team, Waterford Walls and everyone involved in revitalising our buildings over the last few weeks. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed and we will be forever grateful. Come check out our Catherine Street building today.

The post An interview with Omin appeared first on Fitzgerald Power.

We are proud to provide pro bono advisory support and funding to the Hometree East project, which focuses on afforestation, land regeneration, and biodiversity on the east coast of Ireland. Hometree’s mission is to conserve and plant permanent native woodlands while educating communities on the importance of ecological restoration and sustainable land use.

Our collaboration with Hometree reflects our broader commitment to environmental sustainability, as we support initiatives that contribute to a healthier and more resilient natural environment. Together, we’re helping to grow something meaningful for today and for generations to come.

Hometree is a social enterprise that plants and conserves permanent native woodland in Ireland, encouraging land regeneration and biodiversity through afforestation, restoration and education.

Website: www.hometree.ie

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