The Spaniard pays tribute to a local legend.
The Spaniard has been a longstanding pub in Kinsale, and last month during the Kinsale Arts Weekend, it got a huge makeover. Experienced graphic artist Ominous Omin created a huge mural for The Spaniard, making it a more iconic spot than it already was.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAIALKJ_Q_/
Omin chose to paint local legend and poet Desmond O'Grady on the side of the pub. It was fitting to paint the late poet on the side of The Spaniard as O'Grady was known to be a regular, even titling a poem after the pub. O'Grady named the pub "the cape of no hope" as he could never resist passing The Spaniard without entering it. He was a truly one of the great Irish poets, with President Michael D. Higgins leading tributes on his behalf after his death in 2014. You can read his poem "The Spaniard Inn"
here.
Believe it or not, The Spaniard has been around for centuries. It was built on the ruins of an old castle in the 1600s and though the name has changed, it's been a pub ever since. A pub as legendary as this deserves a mural befitting that status and Ominous Omin did exactly that.
You can check out more of Omin's work on his
website.
Header Image via Instagram/ominous_omin
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