Mapping Wolfe Tone Street

Site-Specific Mapping, Co-created Project, Commissioned by Ormston House, Limerick City, 2022

A Resident’s Guide to Wolfe Tone Street is a creative, multi-layered re-imagining of a neighbourhood map. Unlike conventional maps, this artwork overlays geographical information with coloured points of interest that mark historical facts, anecdotes, memories, and social histories gathered directly from residents.

Each colour corresponds to a span of time, tracing the street’s story from its foundation in 1795 to the present day. The work emerged from a project called Mapping Wolfe Tone Street, a site-specific research initiative exploring the rich and diverse histories of one of Limerick’s most well-known streets. Led by historian Sharon Slater and artist Mary Conroy, the project invited neighbours to share their stories, listen to one another, and collectively rediscover their street through a series of talks and workshops.

The project was developed through site specific research at Evan’s Home, which houses the Butler Gallery. This building shows archaeological traces of the Augustinian Monastery that was built here in 1208. This local research, along with in-depth investigation into the River Nore as a habitat, became the driving forces behind the project.

The project also connects to the life of one of Wolfe Tone Street’s lesser-known residents, Hollywood actress Constance Smith, born at number 46 in 1929. Her remarkable life and story which was largely forgotten in her home town, was the catalyst for this project. Curated by Niamh Brown and supported by Ormston House during Heritage Week, Mapping Wolfe Tone Street was funded through the Creative Ireland Made in Limerick programme in 2022.