Nothing summed it all up quite like this image.
Drawn by Sligo cartoonist (and all-round hero) Annie West, the picture summed up perfectly how Ireland had come together to change history – and very quickly, somewhat unsurprisingly, it went viral across social media.
The illustration is actually a modification of an older cartoon, commissioned as a cover illustration for The Broadsheet Book Of Unspecified Things That Look Like Ireland (which was edited by yours truly, as it happens).
In that original 2013 version, the message was hinged around emigration as the queue formed to exit the country via an airport departures gate (see below) – but this time around, that narrative's been turned on its head for an altogether happier tale.
And to make good on the online success of the cartoon, West is now putting the piece up for sale, with all proceeds after production and distribution going to SpunOut.ie.
Personally I'm delighted to see this piece of work I commissioned two years ago get a second life thanks to Annie's quick thinking – and for such an incredible cause too. So go buy it! The prints, which cost €50 and are absolutely beautiful to hold and to frame, are available here.
