Picture perfect day for sand art on Ballybunuion Beach in County Kerry
By Stephen Walker, photo GALLERY by Nick Davis, Genesee Valley Media
Five local craftsmen joined with twenty international artists to set a new world record for the largest ever Celtic knot sand art creation. The artists from as far away as Australia, Hawaii, Scotland and the Isle of Man joined with Irish colleagues under the guidance of renowned Irish based sand artist Manu (Manolo Froelich).
Three jewelers from Walker Metalsmiths in Andover traveled to Ireland for the International Day of Celtic Art Conference, held this year at the Kerry Writers Museum in Listowel. John McHenry, Sydney Gallo, Susan, my wife and myself were traveling together with Alfred woodcarver Alec MacCrea and videographer Nick Davis of Genesee Valley Media.
The last day of the conference Manu hit Ballybunion Beach at low tide on Sunday June 14, 2026 at 6:30 AM to begin laying out his composition of fourteen interlaced triquetras, also commonly known as Trinity knots. Using stakes and strings like a draftsman’s compass he drew arcs in the damp sand to guide the raking of the design.
Later he was joined by artists and volunteers who had spent the previous three days attending the International Day of Celtic Art conference in nearby Listowel. Using rakes, the artists followed Manu’s guidance. Raking the sand exposes the wetter, darker sand beneath the surface, which contrasts with the dry sand on the surface. First, they outlined the bands of the knotwork being careful to follow the strict over and under alternation characteristic of authentic Celtic interlace. The second phase was to rake the negative space between the strands of knots followed by shading the crossings of the cords giving a beautiful woven effect. The final stage, was the photography and video of the project.
In an interview with Nuacht TG4 Galway Irish language news Manu said, “It was a glorious day with a perfect setting.” This broadcast in Irish Gaelic is wort watching even if you can’t understand the words. The photography is fantastic and the language sounds like poetry. Link https://www.facebook.com/reel/2564603040638193
The final size of the composition was 100 x 45 meters or 48,000 square feet. This equals 1.1 acre. This is exactly the size of a regulation American football field.
Early in the week the organizer, Stephen Rynne, told me he thought we would have to cancel the beach outing due to poor weather forecasts made earlier in the week. Later it looked as if we may be in conflict with a horse race, which are were often held on the beach in the past. The luck of the Irish prevailed and Sunday was actually a picture-perfect day for enjoying the beach. The horserace was held nearby, but in a different place,so there was no problem.
As the lines darkened when the artists raked out the sand Nick became very excited about the way the composition aligned pointing towards the ruined tower of Ballybunion Castle. Davis said, “Very cool how Manu left it for us discover this surprise on our own as design emerged.”
Ballybunion Beach is uniquely well suited for sand art. The very clean light sand is surrounded by picturesque cliffs that offer excellent opportunities to view the creations from above. The Atlantic tides refresh and level the sand twice daily. This wonderful creation only lasted a few hours before the tide erased it.
What may well be the largest Celtic knot ever drawn will have a new life on a very small scale. Manu has given his blessing for me to create a jewelery piece of this original sand art design in silver. I have already begun the process. Final work should be done in a couple weeks.
The International Day of Celtic Art is observed annually on June 9, the Feast Day of Collumcille, the early medieval Irish saint associated with the Book of Kells and several other foundational examples of Celtic art. Contemporary Celtic artists and friends of Celtic art have gathered for three international conferences on or near June 9. The first gathering was in Andover, NY in 2019 followed by an event at the Saint Patrick’s Centre in Downpatrick in 2023 and most recently at the Kerry Writers Museum in Listowel in 2026.
Stephen Walker is a Andover NY artist, writer, founder of a Walker Metalsmiths, a generational and international success story. You can reach him anytime, s_walker14806@yahoo.com
