Badoyle Racecourse, The writing is on the wall.
dublin |
history and heritage |
opinion/analysis 
Tuesday December 27, 2005 15:58
by W - Grassroots Dissent
A shout-out to NoiseHacker.
It looks like the end of days for Baldoyles graffiti "wall of fame", a quiet out of the way spot where young people could practice their art without worrying about the pigs or creating a public eyesore.
The development of €120 million worth of new homes on Baldoyle's racecourse will see not only the destruction of the "wall of fame" but also Baldoyles largest green space and most historic location. This will Leave locals with only two large public spaces, a park prone to dreadful flooding and a seafront with a "fantastic" view of three seperate golf-courses.
As "ugly" as some of this art is, it is at the very least a creative and productive way to spend ones time and it's not even on the side wall of your house. On the ground at the base of where the wall is being knocked down you can see the paint on this wall is eight or nine layers deep, dating back to when graf first hit Baldoyle in the mid-90's. Graffiti is a vent and a legal spot like this keeps it off your walls.
There's a good book on the history of Baldoyle and our Racecourse called "The View from the grandstand". Worth checking out as they build thousands of homes and a shopping centre across it.
Art Crimes; Ireland
http://www.graffiti.org/ireland/ireland_1.html
Baldoyle; Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldoyle
Irish Graffiti Photo Blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaqian/search/text:graffiti/
To get to the Baldoyle wall of fame take a dart to Sutton station, walk along the seafront until you reach the tatched cottage and jump over the wall beside it.
