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The mosaics bringing a sea community together

Fiona Murray
BBC News NI
BBC A close up of a mosaic on a wall. It is comprised of pebbles with poppies painted on them and ceramic tiles in the middle showing an aeroplane and an RAF logo.BBC
One of the mosaics in Ballyhalbert depicts the links between the village and the RAF

When Martin McClure was asked to work on a project to brighten up the pier in a County Down village, he could never have envisaged how much interest it would generate.

The artist oversaw a council-commissioned artwork for Ballyhalbert harbour, to celebrate the heritage and history of the area and its residents.

It involved painting ceramic pebbles to form intricate mosaics along the village's pier, depicting a variety of topics including the area's connection to the Royal Air Force (RAF), its nautical past, nature and local landmarks.

People living along the Ards Peninsula were so enthused by the harbour project that, at times, it was standing room only in the workshops.

Martin McClure is wearing a blue, zipped jacket with a darker blue collar which is rolled up against his neck. He has no hair and is smiling into the camera.
Martin McClure was the artist tasked with the project

"It's the first time I've done workshops like that where people were queued to come in and actually paint," Mr McClure laughed. "So it was a lot of people."

Among the youngest was Phoebe, 11, from Victoria Primary School in Ballyhalbert, who along with her primary seven classmates painted their pebbles in vivid colours.

"Martin first showed us pictures of different fish that we could draw and we got to pick our own," she said.

"We then practiced drawing them on paper. When we were happy with our drawing we transferred this onto clay, which we then painted with acrylic paints before it was glazed and fired."

A mosaic of stones and tiles - the tiles in the middle show two boats and the sea with the word 'Ballyhalbert' written above. Pebbles are around the outside and are painted in a variety of colour. Some have boats painted on them, others have birds, one has an anchor.
Another mosaic depicts the nautical history of Ballyhalbert

The ceramic art project, alongside other upgrades to the area, were funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in collaboration with Ards and North Down Borough Council, costing £130,000 in total.

Alex Irvine, the council's tourism manager, oversaw the project.

"The brief we had given was that the mosaics should obviously tell as much of the story of the local area as possible, and I think they've encapsulated that well," said Mr Irvine.

The project really took off after Ballyhalbert and District Community Association posted about it on social media.

Lucy Carlile is smiling into the camera. She has short, dark hair and is wearing a white T-Shirt with the words 'Love Your' in blue letters on the front. She has dark glasses.
Lucy Carlile, who took part in the project, says it has really brought the Ballyhalbert community together

Local swimmer Lucy Carlile, who is part of that association, said the interest just spiralled with at least 50 people involved.

"The first session we maybe had eight to 10 people. For the last session there was literally standing room only," she said.

"You got to paint whatever you liked. Martin gave us some idea of themes and you based that around the larger pieces in the centre.

"A lot of the swimmers came to get involved as well. And as you can see on the pebbles, there's quite a few swimmers depicted.

"We had one lady who had just moved into the village five days beforehand.

"We've gained new members of the association, people have made new friends. It's really helped the village."

A girl stands on the grass beside the sea. She is wearing a red school jumper and white shirt underneath, with a grey short skirt and grey socks. She has blonde hair and is smiling.
Phoebe was among the younger participants in the Ballyhalbert project

How were the Ballyhalbert mosaics made?

The mosaics consist of ceramic tiles surrounded by pebbles. But the pebbles were not collected on the beach, rather fabricated from clay.

Several hundred were taken to the workshops to be decorated.

"The original concept was to create a series of panels which would be a regular pebble shape but then the border would be cast ceramic pebbles," said Martin McClure.

"It was up to the residents what they actually put on to the pebbles but we encouraged them to think: What did Ballyhalbert mean to them?

"We had everything… marine life, different fish, birds, local landmarks, houses, Burr Point itself and a lot of things that were personal to them like a bunch of flowers. Someone actually did the Spar logo as well because it's a local shop in the village.

"One of the panels was dedicated more to the history of the RAF in the village during the war. So there was a series of poppies as well."

A mosaic comprised of blue tiles and a picture of the island of Ireland in white. Around the outside of the mosaic are white pebbles painted in the letters, N, S, E and W, while others have symbols associated with the sea.
A mosaic depicting the Edges of the Island project - which looks at extreme points on the island of Ireland, including places on the Ards Peninsula

After being painted, the pebbles were glazed and then installed on the pier creating a weatherproof and lasting tribute to the area.

"They [the residents] are very creative," said Mr McClure.

"There's one guy in particular came to every workshop, [had] no artistic background, he took so much care and precision with each one.

"And they're lovely, they're really accomplished pieces, but I think the good thing is even if they're good or bad they kind of blend all in together. They work well as a complete piece."

From political representatives in the area, to dog walkers, the mosaics have proved very popular.

Alex Irvine agrees: "It definitely brightens up this part of the world, it has become a bit of a talking point and thankfully it's all been positive."

Phoebe is also very proud of what she and her friends have helped create.

"The art makes the pier look really nice and colourful. It's really good that the art is near where we live and we are able to go down as a school and with our families to see it."