Postgraduate Researchers

PhD Research Student - School of Media

Project title: Towards a methodology for documenting Ireland's visual graphic heritage of vernacular shopfront lettering: A case study of Kilkenny Signwriting 

Current abstract: Typologies: Value, Care & the Vernacular 

Since the late 1800s, vernacular letterforms have been a key feature of traditional Irish shopfronts, enlivening, placemaking, and enticing dialogue with streetscapes. Environmental lettering scholars have long advocated for preservation, recognising their significance in visual culture. Yet, handcrafted fascia lettering is disappearing in Ireland due to factors such as high-street chains, typographic homogenisation, and technological advancements. 

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage appraises architecturally significant, historic shopfronts but frequently overlooks the intrinsic signage component. In an effort to address this gap, this research documents, maps, and interprets Ireland’s vernacular letterforms as a paradigm.   

Drawing on empirical results, observations, and quantitative data from Kilkenny Heritage Office projects in 2022 and 2022), a case will be made for preserving, promoting, and advocating for vernacular letterforms and the associated rarely recorded traditional craft of signwriting in Ireland. An interdisciplinary, mixed-method, exploratory approach will contextualise the research across a wide range of fields, including design history, visual, material culture, anthropology, and critical heritage studies. Case studies, observations, and discourse analysis are used to evaluate the effectiveness of government initiatives and local authority policies in public realm decisions. Interviews with artisans, combined with archival and visual artefact analyses, will trace Ireland’s recent signwriting history.  

The enhanced methodological and emerging theoretical frameworks will illuminate the cultural significance of Ireland’s vernacular letterforms, elevating the criticality of the craft. Furthermore, the study has the potential to influence policy by highlighting case studies and exemplars of best practice. Finally, the artisans’ intangible craft and tangible artefacts will be acknowledged as significant aspects of Ireland’s built graphic heritage. 

Supervisors:

Primary: Dr. Mary Ann Bolger 

Secondary: Dr. Niamh Ann Kelly 

Funder: Taighde Eireann / Research Ireland  

ORCID Profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4217-2057