[image alt="Piano 2" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/09/piano-2-2-296x189.jpg" width="296" height="189" credit-source="TheJournal.ie" caption="The%20new%20Pearse%20Station%20piano" class="alignnone" /end]
A PIANO HAS been permanently installed at Pearse Station in Dublin and members of the public are being encouraged to sit down and play it.
In conjunction with piano tuner John Murphy, Irish Rail has installed the decorated piano on the southbound platform of the station.
The piano was first unveiled at the station this morning. Three children from the Royal Academy of Music, Aela, Siún and Eavan O’Sullivan, were among the first to try out the new installation.
Murphy, who has worked in the music industry for nine years, first approached Irish Rail with a proposal of installing a piano and he says the transport company was on board with the idea within 24 hours.
“I studied and lived in London for three years and witnessed public pianos in St Pancras Station and Harold Wood Station. I wondered why this hadn’t happened in Ireland yet,” Murphy told TheJournal.ie.
“I wanted to bring the idea to Dublin to promote music and disrupt the traditional view of the piano as an inaccessible instrument. You don’t need to be Jools Holland or a Mozart.
If you can play at all you have the ability to brighten up someone’s day.
[image alt="piano 1" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/09/piano-1-296x166.jpg" width="296" height="166" credit-source="TheJournal.ie" caption="Aela%2C%20Si%C3%BAn%20and%20Eavan%20O'Sullivan%20try%20out%20the%20new%20piano" class="alignnone" /end]
A spokesperson for Irish Rail explained why they were keen to take part in the initiative.
“We thought it was a great idea. Railway stations are public places, so it’s nice to utilise it for something like this and it lifts people’s spirits,” the spokesperson said.
Even today, looking at people as they go past, they have a smile on their face. Any day that you can make people smile is a good day.
Artwork
Waterford artist Sarah Edmondson designed the illustrations on the piano, which were inspired by the Dart’s coastal journey.
“The idea behind the artwork is that we wanted to remind people of the coastal route of the Dart and encourage people to appreciate the scenic route,” Edmondson told TheJournal.ie.
“It’s great to have a public art piece, one that’s inclusive, that you can interact with. The artwork is very friendly and in no way pretentious. It’ll definitely encourage people to participate and use the piano.”
Speaking of the safety of the piano at the station, Murphy had few concerns that it would be damaged or vandalised.
“I definitely think it’s going to last. I think people will give it a lot of respect. There’s a lot of good people out there and hopefully it’ll be here into the foreseeable future,” he said.
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