‘Brilliant reaction’ to artist’s tribute to TV’s Father Jack in Blackrock

New avenue art depicting iconic Father Ted Television character Jack Hackett is turning heads in south Dublin, birthplace of the late actor Frank Kelly.

he spectacular mural, painted on an electrical box on Temple Street, Blackrock, was designed by Garret Monahan, of Garlic Types, as element of the Dublin Canvas venture.

Mr Monahan (29), from Dún Laoghaire, stated he desired to pay out tribute to the Father Ted star, who passed absent aged 77 in 2016, in recognition of his prolonged affiliation with Blackrock and the huge sum of community passion for him.

“This is the major response to something I have ever done,” he mentioned. “Even whilst I was doing work on the piece, the reaction was good.

“People stored telling me their recollections of Frank Kelly, whilst other folks were shouting Father Jack’s catchphrases out vehicle windows.

“At a single phase, I experienced to place my headphones on as I could not concentrate because of to anyone talking about him.

“There had been some excellent tales, which includes one about the time Frank was spotted coming out of an off-licence and persons began shouting ‘feck and drink’ at him.”

Mr Monahan, who operates as a digital designer for Paddy Energy Betfair, remembers on a regular basis bumping into Frank Kelly at the Forty Foot in Sandycove.

“I under no circumstances bought to chat with him, but we would always say hi when we have been down there for a swim,” he reported.

The Father Jack mural, found involving a takeaway and Flash Harry’s bar, took the artist all over 12 several hours to finish.

Mr Monahan’s prior operates contain avenue artwork of Ronnie Drew in Dún Laoghaire, and an picture of the late superstar chef Anthony Bourdain at Hush cafe in Rathmines.

Mr Monahan, a UCD small business graduate, only studied artwork up to Leaving Cert amount and modestly describes his talent as “a hobby”.

“I do art on the side when I can locate the time,” he reported. “I really do not have a graffiti background, so my stuff is more standard with a avenue art twist.”

Dublin Canvas is a group art project aimed at bringing “flashes of colour and creativity” to day-to-day objects this sort of as road household furniture.