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All the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Belfast 'The Salmon of Knowledge'

'The Salmon of Knowledge'

A giant sculpture of the legendary "Salmon of Knowledge" celebrates the return of fish to Belfast's River Lagan.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

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katielou106
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The Salmon of Knowledge.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
The Salmon of Knowledge.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
June 2019   kfornshill / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
The sculpture.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
The Big Fish.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

"The Big Fish," also known as "The Salmon of Knowledge," is a sculpture made from a mosaic of ceramic tiles. You'll find it along the banks of the River Lagan in Donegall Quay, Belfast. 

The giant sculpture is based on a character from the tale "The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn." The story tells of a fish that eats some hazelnuts that had fallen into the Well of Wisdom. After devouring the nuts, the salmon gained all the knowledge in the world. According to the tale, the first person to eat the fish would then inherit all of its knowledge. 

This sculpture of the legendary salmon was constructed in 1999 to celebrate the return of fish to the River Lagan. Each of its tiles is decorated with texts or images that relate in some way to an aspect of Belfast's history. According to local folklore, kissing the fish envokes wisdom.

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Fish Sculptures Legends Mosaics

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katielou106

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ssm67alba, Dr Alan P Newman, SEANETTA, kfornshill...

  • ssm67alba
  • Dr Alan P Newman
  • SEANETTA
  • kfornshill
  • rubyslipper1969

Published

August 6, 2019

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'The Salmon of Knowledge'
Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT1 3NH
United Kingdom
54.601483, -5.921649

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