"Reconnections", Belmullet

In the farthest corner of County Mayo, fifty kilometres from the next largest town (Ballina) lies the remote town of Belmullet, a planned town dating from the begining of the 19th century. The town is situated on a narrow isthmus which links a large peninsula to the mainland. The isthmus is so narrow (no more than 400 metres), that the construction of a canal linking the arms of the sea on either side was almost a foregone conclusion. The canal is spanned by a road bridge and a footbridge, of which the footbridge is the subject of our attention. The original footbridge was demolished in 1989 and replaced by a striking modern bridge of cable stay construction, entitled, appropriately enough, "Reconnections".

The construction of the bridge was included as part of the "North Mayo Sculpture Trail" or "Tír Sáile" project and is just one of about two dozen works of art scattered about the northern part of the County. With the passage of time, most sculptures have deteriorated, some are difficult to find, and at least one has been demolished; one honourable exception is Deirbhle's Twist, which being built from massive megaliths, is more durable than the others, and stands on a hilltop at the southern end of the Mullet Peninsula.

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