Grand Marshall 2026

 

Congratulations to Pat Davis who is to be the Grand Marshall for this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade for the Wicklow Town Municipal District.

Pat is Wicklow Town's renowned resident maritime artist who has been painting his striking murals of visiting sea vessels on the wall of the old East Pier in Wicklow Port for 50 years. His artwork is greatly admired and respected locally, nationally and internationally.

Born in Rathnew, his family moved to Wicklow Town while at an early age. Fascinated by ships from the age of 9, sketching became his childhood hobby, which he continued as he grew older - capturing visiting ships to the port in pencil sketches and ink drawings.

In the summer of 1976, Pat got permission from the local Harbour Master to retouch a mural of the Greek ship, the 'Eliana', which had been painted 5 years earlier in 1971 by a crew member of that vessel.

Since then, he has been constantly adding new murals - now totalling over 80 - and maintaining existing ones in his own time - weather permitting - for the pleasure of locals and visitors alike.

The East Pier continues to be his second home where, as a marine artist, he regularly engages with people who walk along the pier about his murals and the stories that inspired them.

In 2024, the process of digitally recording his maritime murals commenced and can be viewed both on his Facebook page and his Blog at 'East Pier  Maritime Murals'. A new short film of Pat and his art - 'The Man Who Paints the Pier' - will shortly be released, while a book of his  murals and stories is scheduled to be published for Christmas 2026.

Now retired, Pat worked as a postman for almost 40 years based out of Wicklow covering the Town, Rathnew, Rathdrum and Ashford. He hopes to continue painting his maritime murals for many more years to come - paint brushes crossed!

In addition to his artwork, Pat is a talented photographer, with many of his photos featuring in publications. Another of his hobbies is ship-spotting which involves tracking the movements of ships in and out of Wicklow Port, as well as on parts of the East Coast. Previously, he also taught art to children on a voluntary basis.

Pat has been, and continues to be, a wonderful ambassador for Wicklow's maritime history and heritage. The people of Wicklow Town Municipal District will be looking forward to greeting and meeting him in his role as Grand Marshall of our St. Patrick's Parade on the 17th March. Thank you, Pat!