{"id":522865,"date":"2026-06-07T08:44:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T08:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/522865\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T08:44:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T08:44:17","slug":"artist-jim-fitzpatricks-captain-americas-murals-up-for-grabs-at-auction-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/522865\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Jim Fitzpatrick\u2019s Captain Americas murals up for grabs at auction \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former habitu\u00e9s of Captain Americas, the restaurant on Grafton Street in Dublin<\/a> city centre \u2013 once described<\/a> as the \u201conly remotely hip place in Dublin\u201d by Philip Chevron of The Pogues<\/a> and The Radiators from Space \u2013 will be able to bring home some mementos when the pop-art burger bar\u2019s memorabilia go under the hammer. <\/p>\n

Chief among the exhibits will be the murals of Jim Fitzpatrick, the Dublin artist responsible for the iconic two-tone depiction of Che Guevara<\/a> seen on T-shirts around the world as well as Thin Lizzy artwork and a vast corpus of Celtic fantasy art.<\/p>\n

Overheard can understand why the works won\u2019t be carried on to the New York-style bistro planned to succeed Captain Americas: they feature enormous comic-style depictions of the hero himself angrily bashing Nazis. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had a pedigree of doing crazy stuff,\u201d Fitzgerald told Overheard. \u201cIt didn\u2019t take much to get me going.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a comic-book fan, he wanted to pay tribute to Jack Kirby, creator of the Captain America character, and came up with panels – first in 1971, and later the largest one in 1980 – as a compilation of Kirby\u2019s Marvel work, channeling his aesthetic without making a direct copy. He later met Kirby, who was baffled by the existence of a restaurant named after his creation in Ireland of all places.<\/p>\n

They are executed on chipboard in hardwearing emulsion paint to stand up to footfall and chip fat. \u201cI\u2019m staggered at how well they\u2019ve lasted,\u201d Fitzpatrick said.<\/p>\n

\"OneOne of the murals in Captain Americas, Grafton Street. Photograph: Jim Fitzpatrick <\/p>\n

As to who might buy an enormous Captain America artwork, he isn\u2019t sure. \u201cI don\u2019t expect to see it any national collections,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019d love to see them somewhere kids can see them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Site-specific artwork in the upstairs rooms of Grafton Street buildings has sometimes been the cause of legal trouble. Six Harry Clarke windows installed down the street in Bewley\u2019s Cafe in 1928 were the cause of a years-long court case over ownership<\/a>, with the Supreme Court being required to rule earlier this year on whether they were a part of the building (and thus the property of the landlord) or of its contents (and the property of the tenant). <\/p>\n

No such difficulties arise this time. The works will be part of an auction planned in association with Julien\u2019s Auctions of Beverly Hills, a pop-culture specialist. <\/p>\n

Interpreting the Battle of the Boyne<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been almost 11 months since Overheard was last reminded of the outcome of the Battle of the Boyne and we have gone hazy on how it all ended, illustrating one danger of the annual commemorative parade as a memorial device. Luckily, there are plans to improve the year-round \u201cvisitor experience\u201d at the site of the clash in Co Meath.<\/p>\n

Ireland is, of course, a shared island with multiple traditions, a fact absorbed by governmental bureaucracy through the Shared Island Initiative, which intends to \u201cbuild consensus around a shared future\u201d. Cue immersive King Billy content, in the wake of a \u20ac10 million grant for the wider project. <\/p>\n

\"OldbridgeOldbridge House and estate is the site of the Battle of the Boyne. Photograph: Alan Betson\/The Irish Times<\/p>\n

Tenders are sought for interpretation and exhibition design services at the site, with the high bar of creating an \u201cengaging and inclusive environment that is welcoming for visitors from all backgrounds and traditions\u201d. The site is \u201cparticularly cherished by the Unionist community\u201d, the Office of Public Works (OPW) document does acknowledge, though interest is also expected from \u201ca wider international community\u201d.<\/p>\n

The document appealing for a design mastermind provides what may be too much context \u2013 there is \u201cevidence of human habitation at what is now Oldbridge Estate dating back to Paleolithic and Mesolithic times\u201d, we are informed \u2013 but the nuts and bolts are standard enough. Fix building defects, provide toilets and a cafe, add \u201cpossible AV & Soundscape experiences\u201d and attract coach tours.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, narrations are expected in Irish and Ulster Scots, languages that would also have been heard on-site in 1690. Anglo-Irish poet Richard Murphy once remarked<\/a> that his collaboration with Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Riada on a broadcast of his book-length work The Battle of Aughrim \u2013 which took place a year after the Battle of the Boyne \u2013 led to an interpretative clash, between Murphy\u2019s \u201cbalance of opposing forces\u201d and \u00d3 Riada\u2019s \u201cheroic rhythms\u201d which did not seek to \u201creconcile the ancient conflict, but to win\u201d.<\/p>\n

We look forward to checking if the minority language histories do the same. And to finding out, at last, which side was victorious. <\/p>\n

A yarn from the bog<\/p>\n

Ireland produces about seven million kg of wool every year, sheared from its four million sheep, according to a UCC research project. Very little of it is used locally, for complex reasons related to higher demand for cheap synthetic fibres and a lack of industrial processing capacity present in wool giants such as China and Australia. <\/p>\n

If it goes anywhere, it\u2019s to China for industrial use. Significant quantities are dumped or burnt, so low are the sale prices.<\/p>\n

\"WillWill archaeologists in times to come encounter dozens of mysterious wool cylinders in their excavations? Photo: Getty Images <\/p>\n

What should be done? A novel idea emerges from Antrim, where a peatland restoration trial on Slievenanee Mountain is deploying locally sourced \u201cwool logs\u201d to see if they can help patch problem parts of the fragile bog ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The initiative, led by Ulster Wildlife and Ulster Farmers\u2019 Union, involves jamming a load of fleece into a sack and then throwing it into the bog in exposed areas. It is anticipated that it will stop water flow, catch sediment and re-establish the conditions required for sphagnum moss \u2013 the magical material from which all bogs are made \u2013 to thrive. <\/p>\n

Intended to replace coir \u2013 a coconut byproduct widely used in peatland restoration \u2013 it has apparently shown signs of working in trials in England and Scotland. Coconuts are not grown widely in this part of the world, but sheep are usually close at hand, so it seems like a sensible swap. <\/p>\n

Scientists are still not completely sure whether the Gaels of old threw butter in the bog to preserve it or as a form of religious offering. We anticipate similar confusion for the Antrim archaeologists of times to come when they encounter dozens of mysterious wool cylinders in their excavations. <\/p>\n

Low drones spook Kerry horses<\/p>\n

Picture a horse trotting through the Gap of Dunloe. Killarney is far below and on all sides is rugged, beautiful countryside. Ach go tobann: a whirring comes across the sky. Even the most experienced nag could be forgiven for spooking. <\/p>\n

The scenario was raised this week at a Kenmare Municipal District meeting, according to local media. Cllr Teddy O\u2019Sullivan Casey said a constituent had been in touch to highlight that the whine of drones could be confused with that of a horsefly by horses traipsing the route.<\/p>\n

\"EvenEven the most experienced nag could be forgiven for spooking in the Gap of Dunloe. Photo: Getty Images <\/p>\n

This, O\u2019Sullivan Casey said, could be a \u201cvery dangerous situation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Overheard was previously unaware of a conflict between horses and drones, but a quick skim of the equestrian hobbyist press over the past decade or so suggests a strong dislike is common. They are loud, weird and may trigger some of the same fears prompted by a swooping hawk, in summary. <\/p>\n

This could be a genuine problem. A lot of horses traverse the gap with tourists in tow and it\u2019s even possibly to hire your own pony to make the journey without a colourful jarvey as guide. <\/p>\n

O\u2019Sullivan Casey called for signs banning drones to be erected. So will the council put them up? No: they\u2019re not allowed to ban drones. Will they at least put up warning signs? Also no, says the council. Call the garda\u00ed if you see illegal drone activity. <\/p>\n

Not much help if you\u2019re a horse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former habitu\u00e9s of Captain Americas, the restaurant on Grafton Street in Dublin city centre \u2013 once described as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[75],"tags":[17296,134622,186694,52,18,117,19,17,957,1873,105969,129262,65483],"class_list":["post-522865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-antrim","tag-bogs","tag-drone-delivery","tag-dublin","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kerry","tag-meath","tag-office-of-public-works","tag-the-pogues","tag-thin-lizzy"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116707949006287511","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}