ACHES
Hailing from Dublin, Aches has been creating work since the age of fifteen. Boasting an impressive repertoire of work, he has been invited to design and create original artwork for projects in countries such as Denmark, Ireland, Hungary, Spain, Sweden, Miami, Scotland, Austria, Switzerland, England and USA.
Aches' artistic practice is shared in equal balance between contemporary murals and studio work. Originating with traditional painting techniques and sketching as a teen, he progressed his painterly style into an impressive mural career.
He sees the process of painting, and indeed the process of creating, quite like a form of personal meditation. A creative outlet that evokes a space of stillness for both the artist and the viewer.
THE STORY
Tom “Sailor” Sharkey
Born in 1873 in a small thatched cottage in Hill Street, Tom Sharkey could never have imagined as a boy that he would go on to live such an extraordinary life, travel the world many times over and become one of the top heavyweight boxers of his generation.
From a young age he was fascinated with sea and travel, and spent a lot of time as a child at Georges Quay, watching the ships coming and going, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the docks.
He ran away from home aged just 12 finding work as a cabin boy on the merchant ships carrying coal from Dundalk to Liverpool and Scotland and loved life at sea. Tom started working on larger merchant ships which saw him visit harbours all over the world, and when the ships docked and the work was done, boxing was often the favourite pastime of the sailors and it is here that his love of the sport began and he gained an up-and-coming reputation as a boxer.
In 1892 Tom’s travels eventually took him to New York City, and at age 19 he joined the United States Navy. It was on-board the USS Philadelphia, and during his time deployed in Honolulu, Hawaii, that Sharkey really learned the boxing trade. He won his first professional bout, in Honolulu, on St Patrick's Day 1893, when he knocked out the British Navy heavyweight champion Jack Gardner in four rounds
Tom was involved in some of the most famous fights of his time with bouts against opponents like James J. Jeffries, Kid McCoy and the legendary James John “Jim” Corbett.
His career spanned from 1893-1904, and he is credited with winning 40 fights (with 37 Kos) 5 draws and only 7 losses. He was named in Ring Magazine’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Tom “Sailor” Sharkey returned home to Ireland on two occasions in 1897 and 1904 where he received a hero’s welcome in his native Dundalk.
He became a very wealthy man from his career but some poor investments lead to a shortage of money in later life. He died on 17th April 1973 in San Francisco and is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery.
His descendants still live in Hill Street to this day.