THE unusual Baltray sculpture entitled 'Clutch' was nominated for an award at the annual Local Authority Members Awards (LAMA).
The art piece, which depicts three little tern eggs, was created by Rachel Joynt and commissioned by Louth County Council under the percent for art scheme.
It was shortlisted for an award in the best piece of art/sculpture category and while it did not take the prize, Councillor Oliver Tully said the piece is a fine example of local sculpture which the community can be proud of.
Each egg, which measures 85cm by 115cm, is made from cast bronze and sit in a clutch adjacent to the shoreline at Baltray.
The bronze eggs have a dimpled texture, and are patinated a light cream colour, with spots and blotches of brown. A bronze book on eggs lies open on a rock next to them.
The sculpture has local significance because the area itself is home to a number of little terns, Ireland's rarest breeding seabirds which only nest at a few sites in Ireland
The birds are so rare, in fact, that they are now a protected species.
These little terns proved to be the inspiration for artist Rachel Joynt, who was commissioned to create a piece of sculpture for the site.
'Initially, when I visited the site, I was struck by this wild bird oasis. I contacted Michael Gunn from Birdwatch Ireland to find out more about which birds nest here and migrate to here. Little terns are Ireland's rarest nesting seabird, yet they nest on the shingle at Baltray,' explained artist Rachel Joynt.
Rachel decided to make three enlarged little tern eggs, and place them on the grass adjacent to the shoreline at Baltray.
'It was important for me to achieve a sense of realism when working on the enlarged eggs, creating a slightly surreal effect, while still retaining the delicacy of these tiny eggs. Mark Holmes from the Natural History Museum allowed me to study and photograph little tern eggs, which he pulled out from their enormous specimen egg archive.'
Cllr Tully said it was a true credit to the quality of the infrastructure in County Louth that this sculpture, alongside six other buildings in the county, were chosen as finalists in the prestigious national competition.
