I had been meaning to do a mural on the side of my house for ages, so when we were all on lockdown at home in April, I decided there was no better time. I live in Crumlin, so it made sense that I pay tribute to one of the inspiring artists/local heroes from the area. I was reading "My Left Foot" by Christy Brown at the time, and Christy's determination and resilience really inspired me. Compared to what Christy faced staying at home watching Netflix didn't seem so bad! I found a quote from one of his poems that felt right for the moment. Armed with some left over house paints (as all shops were closed), I climbed up onto the roof and got painting. I painted while my son napped or after he went to bed at night, or when my husband was home from the front line as a postman. While I painted neighbours stopped to take a look, shout up some encouraging words and smile, it was a really nice way to communicate with the people living around me during a very strange and frightening time. Feedback from locals, delivery guys and pedestrians has been heartwarming, I even had a visit from a man who grew up in my house, asking about the piece, which was a lovely surprise. The mural was featured on various blogs, sites and social media pages, as well as being printed in three national newspapers on my son's 1st birthday, which was nice when we couldn't celebrate with family and friends. It was later featured in the Sunday Times. Niall Carson from the Irish Press Association knocked in one day and took the photo of me above reading Christy's book on the roof, from across the road up a step ladder. It certainly made lockdown more interesting, and I was delighted to pay tribute to the legend Christy Brown in his hometown.