Waterford Watercolours: The Bullpost, Ballybricken

Large fairs were held here from early times down to the 1950s, and this was also the scene of the cruel but popular sport of bull baiting. Bulls were let into the ring one at a time and attacked by specially bred dogs, whose job was to pin them to the ground where they were dispatched by the city butchers to the cheers of the populace. This brutal form of entertainment was banned by law in 1798. Ballybricken has also been the scene of many stormy political meetings, and the Ballybrickener is still a very special type of Waterfordian.

This painting is part of a collection of watercolours of Waterford by local artist John O'Regan, commissioned by Waterford Civic Trust and sponsored by local bodies and companies. This particular painting was sponsored by Tom Murphy Car Sales.

The watercolours were published in a diary for 1992,'93 and '94 after which they were donated to the municipal art collection of Waterford City Council.