New Art Installation Honours History And Heritage Of Island Of Geese

A NEW art installation has been erected at the Island of Geese in Tralee to acknowledge the rich history and heritage of the site and its role in the commercial and social life of the town.

The artwork by sculptor Graham Reid is titled ‘Flight & Industry’ and is a large-scale laser-cut steel panel which has been placed on the exterior wall of the amphitheatre and adjacent to the historic chimney from the former bacon factory.

The artwork acknowledges the Island of Geese’s layered history as Tralee’s pork butchers’ quarter while recognising its current and ongoing regeneration as a vibrant cultural, community, and social hub.

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The Island of Geese, (Oileán na nGéanna) was a busy centre of trade, craft, and industry for hundreds of years.

In an Ordnance Survey map dating from 1878 Oileán na nGéanna is identified as a ‘pork shambles’, an archaic term for a butcher-shop, testifying to a history of pork-manufacturing which existed long before the establishment of Slattery’s Bacon Factory in 1922.

In 1943, Slattery’s Bacon Factory was purchased by the Denny Company and in 1982, it was acquired by Kerry Group which gifted the site to the people of Tralee in 2014.

The installation draws inspiration from key strands of the site’s identity including its history of pork and bacon production, its commercial and economic importance, the historic name of the site as the Island of Geese, and the development of a modern community and cultural space.

The themes of the piece include continuity, resilience, prosperity, and vibrancy.

‘Flight and Industry’ was commissioned under the Percent for Arts Scheme and is part of the overall €3.65m investment in the site by Kerry County Council, the European Regional Development Fund, the National Transport Authority and the Department of Culture Communications and Sport.