Mike paints the signs of our lives

By Robert Grace

MANY of you may not think you are familiar with the work of Dunmore native Mike Kenny.
But if you have wandered down the cobbles of Galway’s streets during the last 40 years there is a very strong chance that you have admired it at one point or another.
A third generation sign writer, over the last four decades Mike has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Joseph and father Mick as a master of his craft, to become one of Galway and the West’s premier sign writers.
Specialising in hand painted signs, with a particular emphasis on gold leaf design, Mike’s craft is an art all on its own and is up there with the oldest trades in the world -- when architects and historians excavated the ancient city of Pompeii, buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius way back in AD79, they found signs for grocers and taverns in the ruins.
From his peaceful studio in Terryland Retail Park, Galway City, Mike creates hand painted works of art that capture the true essence of each and every business he deals with.

Read the full feature in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald