Restless: Liffey Love by artist Rhona Byrne was created using recycled plastic. Commissioned by Dublin City Council, the piece was created in collaboration with the Irish Nautical Trust.
The plastic was collected by the Liffey Sweeper boat, which gathers debris from the water, over the course of eight months, and then processed into the colourful polymer material with the help of Paltech, a polymer engineering company.
Also on the project team was the Billings Jackson firm, which designs urban public realm and infrastructure projects, and SteelSmith, an Irish-based engineering and fabrication company.
The inspiration for the work came to Ms Byrne after she took up sailing during the Covid lockdowns.
“I took up sailing in Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club, and then I started spending more time in the river, in the bay, and basically discovered the Liffey Sweeper, started by Jimmy Murray from the Irish Nautical Trust,” she said.
She joined the crew of the Liffey Sweeper as they worked, which Ms Byrne said was a brilliant experience.“I was invited on to the crew, so I’d say I was going out for eight months or something, through the wind and rain and all kind of weather.
“I mean, they do amazing work. They’re in service to the river, really.”
The Liffey Loves singing group was also present at the launch with bright berets and ukuleles.
Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Donna Cooney, who is also the head of the singing group, was at the event as an officiator. “Rhona contacted me and asked me would we be able to do something at the launch,” Cllr Cooney said.
“She said she’d like if we wanted to compose a song around the Liffey.”
They had three songs ready to go, one of which, My Liffey Love was written in partnership with Damien Dempsey.
Ms Byrne said the artwork “celebrates a community of care for the River Liffey, a river that divides, connects and invites us to reflect on the city we live in and the need for more civic pride and togetherness”.
