Welcome to my site, here on the home page you will find featured projects, I am updating regularly with more images so keep popping back to see what's new!
Basking
Basking is an immersive installation that explores environmental resilience and the healing power of community. At its heart is a life-sized lantern sculpture of a basking shark, surrounded by over 60 shell-like lanterns, all hand-crafted from willow and tissue paper. These materials echo both the fragility and strength of nature. An original soundscape by Colm O’Snodaigh and Brian Hogan deepens the experience, inviting audiences to pause and reflect.
The piece was inspired by artist Tom Meskell’s childhood encounter with a basking shark in Dublin’s Natural History Museum and enriched by oral histories from residents of Achill Island, where the sharks are now returning after near-extinction. Basking is a hopeful story of ecological recovery and collective action.
Developed with schools and emerging artists, community involvement is central to Basking. Its participatory model fosters deeper engagement with environmental issues while encouraging collaborative creativity.
Scalable and flexible for outdoor festivals, coastal locations, and public spaces, Basking is ready to tour and can include community workshops to further embed local relevance.
The show was initiated by Roscommon Arts Center, and the first showing is from the 13th June to the 24th July 2025.
Photo Credits - Paddy Meskell
The Sleeping Giants
The Sleeping Giants is a large-scale lantern project environmental awareness project. Communities create illuminated sculptures celebrating the night sky, using sustainable methods. The project fosters environmental awareness, creativity, and local pride through inclusive, place-based events.
The Project was made possible by an arts council award, the first iteration of the Giant was held in Charlestown Co Mayo in 2024.
Photo Credit - Amayo Photography
The Sleeping Giants is a large-scale lantern project environmental awareness project. Communities create illuminated sculptures celebrating the night sky, using sustainable methods. The project fosters environmental awareness, creativity, and local pride through inclusive, place-based events.
The Project was made possible by an arts council award, the first iteration of the Giant was held in Charlestown Co Mayo in 2024.
Photo Credit - Amayo Photography
Silva Lumina - Botanic Gardens January 2024
This project was the culmination of a years planning and collaboration with - First Forth night - a charity that seeks to empower and improves the mental health and well being of people through the power of art and creativity "the art of mental health".
The figures are a hybrid of humans and plants, representing growth and development, each piece was designed by workshop participants and finished by myself in my studio, there are fifty Silva Lumina in all. A soundscape was commissioned from Colm O Snodaigh and Brian Hogan in response and collaboration with the lantern figures.
The installation was shown at the National Botanic gardens in Dublin in early January 2024, as part of the First Forth night festival, the first two weeks of the year are shown to be the most difficult time in terms of mental health so we hoped to bring a beautiful and healing experience to the Botanic gardens. The response was very positive and people connected deeply with the work which meant allot to me as an Artist.
The project was featured on RTE Six One news and that segment can be viewed here https://www.rte.ie/video/id/9116
The show toured during 2024/25 to Longford lights festival, Glow Wild at Kew Gardens Wakehurst and the Centre Cultural Irlandais Paris. The work was seen by 95,000 people in the course of its run.
Commissioned by First Fortnight and the Arts Council of Ireland.
In partnership with the National Botanic Gardens and the Office of Public Works.
Photo credit - Anna Poshowska
Lóchrainn na Rónta
On Sunday evening 14th May we installed the installation "Lóchrainn na Rónta" with 5 schools from the Easky creative cluster - Killeenduff National School Kilglass, Stokane, Rathlee and Leaffoney, under the guidance of creative Cluster coordinator Leslie Ryan.
This was the results of over 20 workshops with myself in Lantern making, whereby a group of 18 seals a lighthouse and hundreds of smaller lanterns were made and then displayed at sunset last night in Enniscrone.
The amazing musician Rossa Ó Snodaigh delivered music workshops with over 200 students and then enchanted us all in front of the lantern exhibit.
There was a gorgeous crowd of about 400 people on a beautiful May evening
This was the results of over 20 workshops with myself in Lantern making, whereby a group of 18 seals a lighthouse and hundreds of smaller lanterns were made and then displayed at sunset last night in Enniscrone.
The amazing musician Rossa Ó Snodaigh delivered music workshops with over 200 students and then enchanted us all in front of the lantern exhibit.
There was a gorgeous crowd of about 400 people on a beautiful May evening
Resonance
We had a magical evening at the foot of Croagh Patrick "Resonance" which has come out of a series of workshops with the
Mayo County Council Arts Squad funded by Irish Hospice Foundation’s Seed Grant programme, generously supported by Creative Ireland.
Using the subject of the human figure all the participants made a figure based on themselves, the underlying motivation behind this is to create a visual dialogue about grief and the resources that are there to help us through a process that we all encounter in our lives.
We have a collection of over 10 figures which were displayed at the foot of Croagh Patrick at sunset on Mayo Day 29th April, we had an informal gathering of all the makers and we remembered loved ones that have passed in the last year.
I want to thank
-All the makers of the figures from the Mayo Art Squad, we had a great time doing this which was deepened by the context we were working in.
-Mick Smyth at the Art Squad for all his encouragement and support,
Anneli Watson for all her dedication and work in sourcing the funding.
-Elizebeth hutcheson and Dominic Cambell from the Irish Hospice foundation who were a constant support.
-Murrisk Community development association for all the work they do at Croagh Patrick so we can all enjoy its beauty.
Mayo County Council Arts Squad funded by Irish Hospice Foundation’s Seed Grant programme, generously supported by Creative Ireland.
Using the subject of the human figure all the participants made a figure based on themselves, the underlying motivation behind this is to create a visual dialogue about grief and the resources that are there to help us through a process that we all encounter in our lives.
We have a collection of over 10 figures which were displayed at the foot of Croagh Patrick at sunset on Mayo Day 29th April, we had an informal gathering of all the makers and we remembered loved ones that have passed in the last year.
I want to thank
-All the makers of the figures from the Mayo Art Squad, we had a great time doing this which was deepened by the context we were working in.
-Mick Smyth at the Art Squad for all his encouragement and support,
Anneli Watson for all her dedication and work in sourcing the funding.
-Elizebeth hutcheson and Dominic Cambell from the Irish Hospice foundation who were a constant support.
-Murrisk Community development association for all the work they do at Croagh Patrick so we can all enjoy its beauty.
Longford Lights 2023 -Artistic Director - Tom Meskell
Over 12,000 patrons passed through front gates of Connolly Barracks to view a charming display of 300 handmade lanterns that transformed the town centre location.
It was a gargantuan task, 17 individual projects laid out across the expanse of the 18 century barracks. It was Ireland’s first large-scale community based lantern festival. “I don't think it could have gone better. It was an amazing tribute to everyone involved. There was such a huge team that made it happen. Everyone was on their A game. I think it was great for Longford, because it was a real Longford gig.”
Tom spoke of the 200 people from community groups across the county who participated in making the Longford Lights and facilitated the three day event. These include local schools, Drumlish and Killoe Men Sheds, Longford Irish Countrywoman's Associations, Longford Women’s Link, St Christopher’s and the Ethnic Minority Hub.
Excerpt from Longford leader
Lights in The Darkness Philedelphia - September 2022
Lights in the Darkness is a large-scale sculptural lantern installation project, using over one hundred sculptures of the human body as lanterns. With these beautiful structures we created a poignant intervention that honours those affected by suicide in Philadelphia. This is an arts event which we intended to bring attention on this issue that which has left so many people in need a focus for creative healing imagery.
Each figure is life size and made by a participant to the project over a two-day period, using wire and specialist tissue paper, the figures were lit internally with LED lights.
To launch the project over 100 Lantern figures were installed at Dilworth Park at City Hall in Philadelphia on the night of September 22nd. Along with the lighting of these lanterns for a powerful display the evening included keynote speeches and an interfaith prayer service.
The “crisis of silence” in mental health can be solved by talking and bringing our anxieties out of the darkness. This project aimed to be a catalyst for the conversations that shine light on mental health in a beautiful, uplifting, creative way.
Photo Credit ; Kerry McCreightKerry McCreight
Each figure is life size and made by a participant to the project over a two-day period, using wire and specialist tissue paper, the figures were lit internally with LED lights.
To launch the project over 100 Lantern figures were installed at Dilworth Park at City Hall in Philadelphia on the night of September 22nd. Along with the lighting of these lanterns for a powerful display the evening included keynote speeches and an interfaith prayer service.
The “crisis of silence” in mental health can be solved by talking and bringing our anxieties out of the darkness. This project aimed to be a catalyst for the conversations that shine light on mental health in a beautiful, uplifting, creative way.
Photo Credit ; Kerry McCreightKerry McCreight
