Long Lane and DYS team up for mural project

LETTERKENNY’S Long Lane and Donegal Youth Service are to be brightened up thanks to a collaboration between residents and youth workers.

The Long Lane Area Residents’ Committee has teamed up with the local youth service to create two murals, one at the Doorway Project in the Long Lane and the other in the Donegal Youth Service building.

The project has been made possible through €2,000 in grant funding from Donegal County Council, Creative Ireland and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Chairperson of the Long Lane Residents Committee, Finnian O’Donnell, revealed the idea for the murals came from the young people themselves.

“We are over the moon at joining up with Donegal Youth Service,” said Mr O’Donnell.

“We created this idea of a youth-led art project and have a wonderful design created by a young resident of Long Lane. So where else to have it but the local youth club?

“We have so many young people in our community who are creative and are screaming out for something like this. Our young people get a lot bad press and in doing this project, we wanted to let people know how amazing our young Long Laners are.”

Donal O’Doherty of Peaball Visual Arts with Sorcha McElhinney of the Doorway Project.

Responsible for bringing both projects to life will be artist Donal O’Doherty of Peaball Visual Arts. He is hoping to begin work on the Donegal Youth Service mural within days. The second will follow in the not too distant future.

The Long Lane mural will have a mixture of design that will appeal to both young toddlers and teenagers alike. Discussions for the design around what exactly it will look like are still ongoing and ideas from local residents are welcome.

Donal O’Doherty said, “I’m delighted to be part of this brilliant project.

“I have been involved in projects in the North, in areas such as Derry, and have worked on other projects in Letterkenny before.

“This is something that I feel is very special and unique to the town and I’m honoured to be taking on these murals.”

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