The Table
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| Artist Name(s) | Ned Jackson Smyth |
| Artwork title | The Table |
| Context/Background | Ballyhaunis has a population of 1,500 and is located on the N69, close to the Mayo – Roscommon border. The original settlement grew around St. Marys Augustinian Friary. The area is steeped in history, with high concentration of megalithic monuments. Ballyhaunis is a busy market town, with a strong agri-business and food processing base. The grounds of St. Mary's Augustinian Friary was founded in 1419, and known locally as the Abbey, the Friary was built on the site of a Norman manor house and fortifications. The Augustinian order has served the parish of Annagh, and the surrounding parishes of Bekan and Aghamore. Among the well-known locally friars were Fr. Fulgentius (Walter) Jordan, a Cromwellian martyr, Fr. Myles Prendergast, a patriot of the 1798 rebellion and Friar Cassidy, a poet of the 18th Century. |
| Description | A highly polished stone slab sits upon a grassed mound of earth with thirteen unpolished curved forms carved into it. The central dish has a bronze dish inserted into it. This work invites many different levels of engagement, a direct reference to the Christian nature of the site and also reference to the Zen philosophy within the landscape. The aim was to provide a reflective of the environment in which its stands. The unpolished dishes represent the unfinished or incomplete which gather with rain. Nature plays its part as the seasons change and leaves fall and create their own unique patterns upon the stone and the vessels fill with rain. Water will freeze on the surface creating natures own patterns and at other times, it will lie dry and empty. |
| Commission Type | Local Authority,Government Department |
| Commissioner Name | Mayo County Council |
| Project commission dates | February 20, 2006 - July 30, 2006 |
| Artform | Visual Arts |
| Percent for art | Yes |
| Budget Range | 35000 - 70000 euro |
| Project commission start date | 20/02/2006 |
| Project commission end date | 30/07/2006 |
| Location | St. Mary's Augustinian Friary, Ballyhaunis |
| County | Mayo |
| Town | Ballyhaunis |
| Content contributor(s) | Gaynor Seville |
| Relationship to project | Public Art Co-ordinator |
