Knitted Repeal banner

This banner was knitted by Anne Phelan of Phibsborough, Dublin, in early 2018.

It features the Repeal the 8th artwork of Irish street artist Maser, and was exhibited in numerous venues across Dublin City in the lead up to the referendum date on 25th May 2018. It measures 160cm by 160cm, required 20 balls of wool, and took over two weeks of full-time knitting to make.

This item was created as part of the Yes Campaign in the lead up to the May 2018 referendum on the question of repealing the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland Act 1983 (Thirty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution). This referendum had its roots in the unsuccessful campaign against the introduction of the 8th Amendment in 1983, which tightened laws on termination of pregnancy in Ireland.

The original artwork - the word ‘Repeal’ within a red heart on a blue background - was the work of Dublin street artist Maser, and was located on the wall of the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar. It was removed twice under the direction of the Charities Regulator, who deemed the artwork to be a political message, and that the presence of the mural was political activity and therefore in breach of the Charities Act 2009. 
Phelan made the banner with this logo in response to the Maser original being removed from the Project Arts Centre wall.  After this, there was a call for more artworks to be made, and Maser allowed his design to be used by Yes campaigners free from copyright restrictions.

The knitted Repeal banner tells a multi-layered story of the history of the 8th Amendment, its effect on the lives of Irish women and the struggle of the many who campaigned against it since the 1980s. It also represents an individual act of protest within the mass protest of the group, and speaks of the creation, destruction and re-creation of an artistic expression, which persisted within the political environment of the Repeal debate.