On Tuesday 24th October, Baldoyle Community Hall was thrilled to unveil their very own ‘Elephant in the Room’.
This Elephant is part of a National programme headed by Rugby player, Brent Pope, and comes in the form of a sculpture which will remain on display in Baldoyle Community Hall on a permanent basis.
Baldoyle is the first and only Community Hall in Ireland to take part in the project, and the Baldoyle Elephant is being funded by Fingal County Council, Creative Ireland and Baldoyle Forum Clg.
The Elephant was unveiled by Shane Carthy, Dublin Footballer, Author, and Mental Health spokesperson. “I was honored to unveil the Baldoyle Elephant, it’s vital for all of us to talk about our mental health”, said Shane. The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Adrian Henchy, also attended and spoke of Fingal County Council’s support of the Arts.
The unveiling ceremony was accompanied by The Forget Me Nots, famous for their support of people experiencing dementia. They were joined in song by children from Mo’s Montessori and afterwards, volunteers from St. Mary’s transition year handed out refreshments for everyone.
The Manager, Heidi Bedell hosted the event which was opened by the Chairperson of Baldoyle Forum, Catherine Lawless.
“The wonderful thing about this project is that it accomplishes a number of things,” said Heidi, “it provides a piece of public art which has had local investment in its design, it supports a well-deserving charity and it raises an issue that has a huge impact on society”. She added, “The staff and volunteers have worked extremely hard to bring this project to fruition, I’m very proud of them.”
The decoration on the Baldoyle Elephant was inspired by suggestions from the Baldoyle community and painted by professional local Artist, Karen McSweeney. Baldoyle Community Hall is joining famous Irish Celebrities such as Charlie Bird and Adam Clayton in supporting this project with their Elephant.
Baldoyle Community Hall has over 50,000 visitors throughout the year and are looking forward to some renovations in 2024 for the 100 year old building.
