Tidewoven, People’s Park, Limerick City, Ireland

TIDEWOVEN, PEOPLE'S PARK, LIMERICK CITY, IRELAND

The project was commissioned by Limerick City and County Council and is a collaboration between the Environment and Arts Departments, and was designed and installed by sound artists David Bickley and Catherine McDonald. Audio islands have been installed in the People’s Park, the principal park in Limerick City, to mask road noise and encourage rest and relaxation – to sit and enjoy commissioned compositions of culturally important sounds from Limerick.

2026

CONTEXT

Inspired by traditional woven fish traps used along the Shannon Estuary the work features two benches enclosed by sustainably sourced willow that will evolve naturally with the seasons. The installation includes four atmospheric ambient compositions, aligned with the cardinal directions, North, East, South and West, blending musical tones inspired by nature and mythology with field recordings from across Limerick including Thomond Park, Lough Gur, the Shannon Estuary, St. Mary’s Cathedral Bells and a historical reference to Limerick’s ‘flying boats’. Tidewoven provides a sheltered listening space activated by QR codes inviting visitors to engage with the surroundings of the park.

Present day

References

Submitted by: Simon Jennings

Entry Edited by: Xiaochao Chen