Lifestyle & Sports
31 Jul 25

ACHES pays homage to GAA Palestine with mural in Dublin

Mural by ACHES. Photo: ACHES/@achesdub on Instagram.

"There is no doubt that the Irish people are firmly in support of all Palestinians," said GAA Palestine of the painting.

Dublin street artist ACHES has painted a mural in Dublin honouring GAA Palestine after the cancellation of their planned summer tour of Ireland.

ACHES was one of ten artists invited to paint live murals during the annual Dublin Block Party at Charlemont Square, an event founded by fellow Dublin street artist Maser. ACHES chose to paint a portrait of Ahmed Salem, team captain of the Moataz Sarsour GAA Club in Ramallah, with the Palestinian flag superimposed.

GAA Palestine posted a photo of the painting on Instagram today, writing that they "were blown away" when they saw the image online. They asked ACHES why he chose to feature Salem in the piece.

"I was invited to paint at this years Block Party hosted by Maser and I knew I wanted to paint a piece showing support for GAA Palestine," ACHES said.

"I play hurling myself and had a match the night before so I thought it was only fitting."

Earlier this month, GAA Palestine announced the cancellation of their planned summer tour of Ireland. After months of reported difficulty communicating with the Department of Justice, the Irish Immigration Service denied visa applications for their team of 33 children and 14 mentors.

Despite issuing an appeal of the decision, GAA Palestine said time ran out to acquire visas and depart on time.

Speaking to GAA Palestine, ACHES said Minister for Justice of Ireland Jim O’Callaghan "should hang his head in shame" over the ordeal.

"I hope that a future trip can be organised and that the Department of Justice do the right thing," ACHES said.

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ACHES is a Dublin-based street artist and National College of Art and Design graduate. He has been invited to design original art for projects around the world.

His portrait of President Michael D. Higgins was featured in the music video of Christy Moore's 'Music to our Ears,' a spoken word track celebrating Higgins' life and legacy in the last year of his presidency.