Installation of Vessel at Grand Canal Quay in Dublin 8, Ireland

Vessel rises from the earth, linking the past to the present and ancient Ireland to the modern-day Ireland of today.

We are pleased to present the elegant Vessel to the community of Dublin and the Marlet Property Group. On Friday, August 30 2024, the sculpture was installed at Grand Canal Quay in Dublin 8, Ireland. The cast aluminum Viking boat prow will rise from a reflecting pool in the plaza. Frothing waves of past journeys texture the broad surface of the hull. Like a discovery of an underwater ship, the vessel remains half buried in the sea bottom.

Standing nearly 5 meters high and 2.5 meters in length, Vessel is a Viking ship which takes inspiration from the natural beauty of this area and its ancient past, rich in history and culture, its concepts of legacy, timelessness and reflection. Drawing on our ancient heritage and the influences that the Vikings had on who we are today. Vessel is a ship that symbolises the Viking raiding fleets that travelled from Scandinavia to Ireland to plunder the riches of the churches and monasteries in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Viking ships were so constructed that they could cross the North Sea and also sail up the shallow rivers and over time they settled and shared information and established a knowledge base that informs our creative process to this day. The sculpture is influenced by our ancient Celtic traditions and those of the Viking settlers, how both cultures interacted and influenced the course of our history.

I am inspired by reading the Dublin and the Viking World that the Irish Times reviewed on Tue, May 17, 2022:

‘A gorgeous new book, Dublin and the Viking World, introduces readers to the period when Dublin became Ireland’s first fully functioning town. Written by Prof Clarke, a director of the Medieval Trust (the parent body of Dublinia, the Viking and medieval museum near Christchurch, Dublin) and formerly a historian at UCD, Sheila Dooley who was curator and educational officer in Dublinia, and Dr Ruth Johnson, city archaeologist for Dublin City Council, it will be published just after Easter weekend’s first Viking festival, hosted by Dublinia.’