I was aware that the location for Star Bridge – Bridge of Leaps was of significance for Limerick. The Shannon turned here on the Curragabhair, falls which at low tide could be forded. It was a point of meeting between estuary and river and above here a community was established, which grew to become Limerick City. At the same time I realised that The West Door of Saint Mary’s Cathedral had for centuries looked out over the meeting points of estuary and river. From this doorway, people could look toward the turn of the estuary and watch for mariners making the approach to home-port. Likewise, mariners on their final approach were able to see the West Door as they sailed for home. I realised that Saint Mary’s was on an origin point of the community of Limerick and was the oldest building in daily use in Limerick. I wished to connect peoples’ thoughts with the river, the history of the place and with Saint Mary’s and its West Door. At the same time, I wanted to make reference to an artwork about crossings that colleagues developed 17 years previously. I lent a hand as they put it across the Shannon. It was a fine work, which was vandalised the moment we left the site. A second placing of the work took place and I attended this too. The river conditions were different on the second occasion. I wished to acknowledge the earlier artwork and to speak in work about this place of connections. I wanted this to take place ahead of the sewage and weir work being prepared at this time, in order to mark the changed history of the location.Crossing- Pathway was made with this aim.

I had aimed to present the artwork at the point when people celebrated the crossing from 1999 to 2000. This process of development was underway from March-April of 1999. People were invited to participate and information went out. I learnt about adapting project work, in the process of realising the undertaking. By June-July, I had the intention to present at the end of the year, a programme involving young people meeting in the area of The Civic Centre and St Mary’s Cathedral in a night of celebration. This would be done as an artwork was to be placed on the Shannon and lanterns were to be brought from The West Door of Saint Mary’s Cathedral to be laid upon the water by young people as an act of connection on their part with the river and the location from which their community had originated. This would also have been a reference to their travelling out into the stream of existence at a moment when a community celebrated an event about crossing from one year and era to another.

I resolved to this plan by the start of September, after taking other dates into consideration. Amid late planning, a laser show was interposed, with other Civic Events. I was obliged to adapt my plans and was given permission on December 22nd, to locate an artwork in time for New Year’s eve. Crossing-Pathway 31.12.99-01.01.00 resulted from my planning. Limerick Marine Search and Rescue, Joe Harrington, John Hunt, Fergus Quinlivan, The Arts Council and others supported this. I was happy for them as well as myself that the artwork succeeded on that night.

I presented the related photographic exhibition, Reflections Past and Future, at The Hunt Museum in January. This showed aspects of the water borne heritages of Limerick at this point of crossing and meeting, just outside the museum, which before the Wesley Bridge was built was an important part of the series of connections with travellers on the water. It had been The Custom House.