Cork Mural Sparks Nationwide Conversation on Immigration and Irish Identity

A 50-metre mural featuring words from Irish revolutionary James Connolly has drawn over half a million views online and ignited debate about immigration, integration and social division, with Crawford College students using art to challenge growing polarisation in Cork.

The striking artwork appeared on Sullivan’s Quay on Saturday, 11th October, as protests and counter-protests gathered on Grand Parade, displaying Connolly’s 1908 words: “Let no Irishman throw a stone at the foreigner; he may hit his own clan.”

Created by students from the Creativity & Change course at Crawford College of Art and Design MTU, the mural has become a focal point for national discussions about immigration, with a video of its unveiling reaching 500,000 views and 29,000 likes within 48 hours. However, the response has been deeply divided, with Instagram comments reflecting widespread anger and concerns about immigration to Ireland.

Claire Coughlan, Assistant Lecturer and Creativity & Change Course facilitator at Crawford College of Art and Design said:

“This project is about creating public spaces for conversation, not confrontation. We want this mural to spark discussion and to remind people of the things that unite us rather than divide us.”

The project, led by artists Claire Coughlan, Helen O Keeffe, Blanca Rice and Vicky Donnelly, deliberately launched during a weekend marked by street demonstrations in Cork. The timing was intentional, aimed at encouraging reflection during a period of heightened social tension.

Coughlan acknowledged the concerns driving public frustration, pointing to the housing and homeless crisis, strained GP services, hospital waiting lists, and shortages of childcare and school places for children with autism or additional needs.

Coughlan added:

“These are all valid concerns, people have been badly let down by successive governments over and over again. We are not surprised people are frustrated and angry and we are not trying to upset or provoke people who are already hurt and struggling, but like we witnessed on the street last Saturday, immigrants are being unfairly scapegoated for problems that are rooted in government policy failures. The government needs to be proactive in creating information campaigns to counteract the misinformation and fear mongering circulating online.”

The backlash to the mural has included racist language and comments reflecting fears that organisers say are being deliberately amplified by right-wing actors online. The project team views this response as evidence of the urgent need for empathy and understanding in shaping Ireland’s future.

Vicky Donnelly, Financial Justice Ireland and visiting lecturer and Creativity & Change Course facilitator at Crawford College of Art and Design said:

“Ireland’s story is one of resilience, fierce compassion for our fellow humans, and of a proud tradition of standing together against injustice. Connolly’s words are as relevant today as they were over 100 years ago. This piece is about remembering what he stood for: equality, solidarity, and the ‘oneness and unity of all the races of mankind’. Global citizenship isn’t just an abstract idea. It is a way we can live together every day in our communities and work together to create a better world.”

The project is supported by Irish Aid and MTU and forms part of ongoing efforts by Creativity & Change, a Global Citizenship Education programme based at 46 Grand Parade, to promote participation and inclusion through creativity and the arts.

Members of the public are invited to view the mural on Sullivan’s Quay and join the conversation by tagging @creativityandchange on Instagram.

Munster Technological University operates six campuses across Cork and Kerry, serving 18,000 students with programmes ranging from apprenticeships to PhDs.