Restless: Liffey Love
Rhona Byrne, 2025
Location: North Wall Quays facing south towards the confluence of the River Dodder
Restless: Liffey Love is a public art project created using waste plastic rescued from the River Liffey and returned to the Liffey quaysides in the form of two love seat sculptures. Rhona collaborated with the Irish Nautical trust on the Liffey Sweeper to collect plastic waste from the River Liffey. It was then repurposed it into sheet material with Paltech Polymer engineers to create a social sculpture in the form of love seats with Billings Jackson Design and Steel Smith and placed on the North Campshires of the River on the North Wall Quays. This project that considers connection and what it means to love our city, rethink materials of everyday life and nurture a sense of collective civic engagement. This project is realised through the support of Dublin City Council Arts office and the artists collaborators Paltech, Green Generation, Irish Nautical Trust, Billings Jackson Design, Steel Smith and Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club.
It was launched on the 22nd of September as special two-part event in collaboration with Culture Night Dublin. Guests got to accompany Rhona Byrne and Jimmy Murray of the Irish Nautical Trust on The Liffey Ferry – the oldest ferry in Ireland – for a trip along the River Liffey to hear about Liffey Love. They also got to attend Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club to view a Liffey Love display and meet with the team of people involved in making this project happen. The Liffey Loves singing group was also present at the launch with bright berets and ukuleles and performed a series of songs.

Photo by Malcolm McGettigan 2024

Photo by Ben Leahy

Artist Rhona Byrne with Liffey Sweep boat crew on the Liffey Sweep boat
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