In 2023, as part of the 225th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Ballinamuck, a public art project for the village was proposed by Longford County Council, in partnership with the Ballinamuck committee that was planning the commemoration. The anniversary was seen as a great opportunity to undertake a ‘legacy’ project that would enhance the village.

The first stage of the project consisted of three creative workshops, held in late July and early August, involving young people from the locality and a visiting group from Essert de Belfort, Ballinamuck’s twin town in France. The workshops were led by distinguished Legan artist, Kevin Flood, who has completed several public artworks throughout Ireland. The workshop outcomes included various design ideas which Kevin distilled into three. 

On Sunday, 10 September, during the commemorative weekend programme in Ballinamuck, there was a public meeting at which Kevin presented the three ideas. Attendees examined the options in detail, and over the following week, there was a vote held for the best one. 

The adopted sculpture design has now moved to the scale model stage with further consultation with the local community who are also identifying a potential installation site.

In 2025 as part of the ongoing twinning project, the young people of Essert will be presented with the scale model in recognition of their participation in the project. It is also hoped that further creative workshops will take place to support the design of

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.