This piece is in the foyer of Mitchelstown Credit Union is on two levels of the building. The upper piece is a circular16m railing made from sheet gilding bronze with enamelled copper, pewter and stainless steel. It has a repeat design inspired by swirling water with stalactite shapes pointing downwards. We used a sawdust technique to apply the blue/green patina which gives the piece a very fluid appearance.

Three limestone cones stand on the ground floor completing the stalagmite stalactite design.

The concept of the design was inspired by the nearby Mitchelstown Caves The piece echoes the caves’ stalagmites and stalactites as well as the swirling flowing waters found within the caves.

In the depths of Mitchelstown Cave there is a lake not open to the public. Legend has it that anyone who crosses the lake will not return. A piper is said to have crossed the lake and became absorbed by the resulting sound of his pipes in the caves. He never returned having got lost in the web of passageways. Some visitors claim they can hear a piper’s music coming from distant caverns.