New ceramic panels depicting old names and imagery of streets and areas of Enniskillen from times gone by are currently being installed across the island town.
Entitled, ‘A Sense of Place’, the 22 panels have been designed and created by ceramic artist Eleanor Wheeler following research and conversations with local business owners, on whose buildings some of the pieces now adorn.
Enniskillen Town Name Plaques.
Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Eleanor explained the inspiration behind the project.
“Like any historic town, there are names that were given to places that are no longer used or have changed over time.
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“Catherine Scott in the museum has done quite a lot of work on the old place names. She would have done a walking tour pre-Covid, guiding people around the town and highlighting some of the old names.
Enniskillen Town Name Plaques.
“That’s really where the brief came from,” said Eleanor, noting that as well as liaising with Catherine, she used an Enniskillen walking tour guide supplied by the Enniskillen Castle Museum as her starting point.
“I highlighted some of the places that sounded interesting and fun to illustrate. I then liaised with Catherine and she threw in suggestions.
Enniskillen Town Name Plaques.
Post-Plantation town
“She is very well informed and basically highlighted key places that would have been in the original post-Plantation town from when the castle was built and the Maguires were in seat.”
From there, Eleanor liaised with town businesses and building owners who were all happy to have the ceramic panels installed, with some giving her ideas for the illustrations.
Enniskillen Town Name Plaques.
“When you get a nice supportive vibe from a business owner, that always fires you up,” she said, adding: “What I hope is that people sort of take ownership of the pieces.”
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Painted a striking blue and white, Eleanor explained that this is a nod to the circular historic plaques but also links back to the unique island town idea ¬– the blue representing water and the white, the island.
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‘A Sense of Place’ is one of four exciting new public art projects supported by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in conjunction with Enniskillen BID as part of the wider Enniskillen Public Realm Scheme.
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