In Dublin’s Temple Bar, a new mural has emerged, confronting the stark reality of family homelessness in Ireland. Created by street artist and activist Sarah Bracken Soper, the piece marks a collaboration with Focus Ireland, aimed at highlighting the charity’s ongoing work and fundraising efforts to address a crisis that has remained largely invisible.
Soper’s work consistently engages with pressing social, cultural, and environmental issues, and this mural is no exception. The piece is a deeply resonant portrayal of family homelessness as an overlooked struggle.
Central to the mural are two women in an embrace—one rendered clearly while the other lingers as a shadow. This composition speaks to the duality of visibility: the visible figure embodies the compassion and support of the public, while the shadowed woman stands in for the countless mothers living through hidden homelessness, their plight often ignored. The mural was unveiled alongside a major ‘sleepout’ event, bringing renewed urgency to the conversation around homelessness.
The statistics are sobering. Currently, 2,099 families are experiencing homelessness in Ireland, including 4,419 children, with many confined to emergency accommodations offering little more than a single room. This reality chips away at any sense of stability, especially for children who are left without a place to truly call home.
Reflecting on her motivations, Soper explained, “Art has a unique power to deepen our understanding of the world and can act as a catalyst for change. My hope is that this piece can offer even a small comfort to those facing homelessness today, showing them there are people who care and are ready to take action.”
The Brill Building ECD Roisin Keown spoke about the ambition for the activation: “It was important for us that this mural could be something that would just appear overnight to gain maximum attention for this important issue. We want to encourage Ireland to quite literally wake up to the rising crisis in our society that is only growing in scale and the damage it is doing every day. The ambition to have a mural at this scale installed in just a few hours needed an incredible team to work through the night and we were so fortunate that as day dawned a beautiful golden sunrise helped emphasise the beauty of Sarah’s creation that we all want to be a beacon of hope for those in homelessness.”
This installation marks Temple Bar’s first mural tackling a specific social issue since Maser’s powerful ‘Repeal’ heart, which became a defining symbol during Ireland’s 2018 referendum on abortion rights. The new mural is part of Focus Ireland’s Shine A Light campaign, supported by Bord Gáis Energy. A dedicated team from The Brill Building brought the project to life, including photographer Johnny Savage, creative lead Peter Snodden, and project lead Eleanor McCarthy, with key contributions from campaign creatives John McMahon, Laurence O’Byrne, Shane O’Riordan, and Gayle Briody. Filmmakers Luke Sweetman and David Christopher Lynch captured the journey of its creation.
For those curious about the process behind the artwork, a film documenting the making of the mural can be viewed here.
©2024 Sarah Bracken Soper
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