The All-Island Cancer Research Institute Launches Newest Public and Patient Engagement Initiative “Behind Walls”
Behind Walls is supported by the Research Ireland Discovery Programme.
The All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) launched its newest public and patient engagement initiative, Behind Walls, at the All Together Now festival in Waterford. Behind Walls is led by Conway Fellow, Dr Maria Prencipe from UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science, alongside colleagues and Conway Fellows Prof. William Gallagher (Co-Lead, AICRI and UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science) and Dr Arman Rahman (UCD School of Medicine), in collaboration with Dr Áine McGill, Ulster University. The Behind Walls concept was developed by Chantal Halley, AICRI Research Programme and Engagement Manager.
Ahead of the All Together Now festival, cancer researchers from UCD and Ulster University, alongside Aches, ran workshops with community groups across Waterford, including participants from the SOLAS Cancer Support Centre, local teenagers from Mount Sion CBS Secondary School, and members of ethnic minority communities, to understand what themes mattered most to them. The topic of support, whether from family, friends, doctors, charities or researchers, came up repeatedly.
That became the heart of the first piece in the series. Aches explained: “The piece I designed is centred around the feeling of support. I use overlaying hands reaching out to represent this sense of connection, care and encouragement. The use of hands also suggests that they could belong to anyone, serving as a reminder that cancer can, and often does, affect everyone, whether directly or indirectly”.
Ní neart go cur le chéile
Aches, 2026
The name of the mural is “Ní neart go cur le chéile”, when translated into English means “There is no strength without unity”
Artist Aches is known internationally for his large-scale portrait murals and emotionally charged visual style and rose to national attention when his mural of Savita Halappanavar became one of the most recognisable images during the 2018 Irish abortion referendum.
For Aches, the project carries personal weight, stating “it is an honor to be involved in the Behind Walls project. Learning more about cancer research in Ireland has provided a meaningful insight into the extensive work being done here.
Having lost my father to cancer in 2014, this project resonates with me deeply.
After speaking with a range of groups and demographics about cancer, their experiences (or lack of experience) and cancer research, I workshopped ideas with them to better understand the themes that resonated most. While several recurring topics emerged, the one that stood out most was the importance of support, wether from family, friends, doctors, charities, or researchers. This theme consistently came up throughout the conversations.
I hope the abstract nature of the piece leaves it open to interpretation, encouraging conversations among viewers and festival goers while allowing each person to find their own meaning within it”
Behind Walls set out to open up conversations about cancer, cancer research and lived experience through art. Over the course of the All Together Now festival weekend, festival-goers were invited to watch the mural take shape, and to engage with the project team, including cancer researchers from the Conway Institute, UCD, who were on site, through conversation, hand-written postcards or a QR code. People were asked to share their own story if they had been affected by cancer, or simply leave feedback on the project. Every story and reflection will help the project understand how art can create meaningful conversations about cancer, research and lived experience.
In Conversation with Aches
On Friday 31st July, the project hosted a panel discussion in the Curious Minds Tent, “In Conversation with Aches: The Hands Behind Behind Walls” Chaired by Mary Grehan (Arts in Health Curator), the panel brought together Aches (Mural Artist), Prof William Gallagher (Cancer Researcher, UCD), Dr Miriam O'Connor (Consultant Medical Oncologist, Waterford University Hospital) and Éanna Mac Cana (Filmmaker).
The panel was designed to be accessible and reflective, a chance for a festival audience to hear directly from the people behind the collaboration. The panel talked through how the project came together in the first place, and why an artist, researchers and a clinician chose to work together at all. Aches spoke about the workshops that shaped the mural, what he heard from the community groups he met, and why hands, rather than any other image, became the visual language for the piece. Prof Gallagher and Dr O'Connor reflected on what collaborating outside their own disciplines had taught them, and why they believe public engagement matters for cancer research. Éanna Mac Cana, who has documented the project since its earliest conversations, shared some of the moments that stood out to him along the way.
What's Next
The activation mural is the first of three. The next will be created in Derry later this year, again shaped by workshops with the local community. Lavey GAA club will be hosting one of the co-creation workshops, centred around using sport as a way to engage. The co-creation of the murals will all feed into the documentary, which has been following the project from first conversation to finished artwork, due to show early 2027.
