Athlone tattoo artist is leaving his mark

by Navjyoti Dalal

Until a few years ago, Eric Kilmartin would wake up early and show up to work in Army fatigues, ready for duty, at Athlone's Custume Barracks. He did it for 21 years.

However, for the last seven years he has traded the camouflaged outfit for the classic black tee (sometimes with a print), a uniform of sorts for those in his line of profession.

He still wakes up early though, and heads to work, a discipline he credits his Army tenure for, to live his childhood dream of a creative life. A retired Army sergeant (mechanics), Eric is a tattoo artist and founder of Old Stone Tattoo House. He and Hannah Byrne, his protégé and colleague, work in tandem to render art to many a body.

Clean and Clear

Eric's workday begins around 7.45am when leaves home in Curraghbhoy to reach his studio, a beautiful and iconic old stone building in Irishtown, Athlone, which has housed everything from the British Army to baby potatoes.

“I have inherited work ethic and punctuality from my Army life. I like to be at work early and prepare the studio for the day,” shares Eric.

After working on the designs for the day's appointments, he gives the place a thorough cleaning, followed by an even more meticulous cleansing of the workstation. Every item is sanitised and sterilised to eliminate all risks of cross-contamination.

“Hygiene is non-negotiable. Even while making a tattoo, you have to be constantly aware of what you've touched so as not to contaminate surfaces,” says Eric, who was working on 'fixing' a tattoo made on his returning client, Vanessa.

She has known him for over seven years and places immense trust in his hands. "Trust is a big factor in tattoo art. You are trusting the artist with not just the design, but also your skin. Eric evokes that trust in his practice," she says.

An Artist's Cave

Interestingly, Eric's first brush with tattooing began in Lebanon, while he was on a peacekeeping mission 16 years ago. After he retired he worked in a tattoo shop in town before launching his own last year.

Exactly a year ago, Old Stone Tattoo House came upon the same premises where Behan's fruit and vegetables once operated. He feels lucky to have found the place available just when he was shopping for a site to open his studio.

“This was called Scotch Parade, a British Army barracks. The exact place where we have the studio used to be the stables. I love the quaint charm of the old stone walls,” explains Eric, who has decked up the studio with artworks from his artist friends. The place has an unusual appeal, very unlike a tattoo studio, which is often steeped in black.

“We like to keep it warm and light. We use music and humour to effect that. Our mornings usually begin with radio, which plays classics, and we also have a playlist that we switch to after a couple of hours of radio," he shares.

Customer Service

Eric says every day is different for him, and brings him a variety of clients. “We're lucky to get clients not only from the town, but also other counties as far as Donegal, even Cork; my clients belong to all age groups. From the age of 18 to however old one maybe, I get all ages of customers," says Eric, who tattooed a 90-year-old woman recently.

A fair percentage of his customers are first-timers, which means ambience and music alone aren't enough to calm their nerves.

“Typically, we discuss the design and go about inking it. There are times, though, when the client is nervous and jittery. We give them reassurance, clarity on the process, and some time for them to make an informed decision. We also give them advice on choosing the right area to tattoo, one that will not be too sore afterwards,” he explains.

Hannah adds that sometimes the advice also veers towards discouraging clients from certain 'trends'.

“Sometimes I get young girls influenced by social media trends to get a tattoo which I know will not age well. For instance, red outlines, or too intricate a design. The ink eventually tends to spill with age, so such tattoos look bad as you grow.

“Most clients appreciate the honesty. It gives more meaning to your job when a client leaves feeling more confident,” says Hannah, a Rochfortbridge resident, who drives every day into Athlone. She often designs at home and renders it on skin at the studio.

Occupational Hazards

Eric shares that there is a degree of flexibility in his line of work. While the studio has dedicated timings, some days he gets free early, by afternoon, on other days he is inking away until 8pm.

Even though his work gives him flexibility, it doesn't leave his back with any. One of the occupational hazards for a tattoo artist comes as posture-related problems.

“It's just hard on the body. You work with your hands, with your back crouched, sitting long hours, it has to have an effect,” says Eric, who usually resorts to massaging his hand and wrists with a massager his wife got for him.

He also stretches his back with a few exercises. Hannah began taking pilates classes for her back health. Every hour they take a small, five-minute break to stretch and walk a bit in the courtyard. "We don't do hour-long lunch break, instead fuel ourselves with coffees, cigarettes and Centra (for a quick meal) from time to time," he laughs.

A Viable Career?

When Hannah told her parents about her interest in pursuing tattoo-making professionally, they were taken aback. Stigma and this industry have walked hand-in-hand. "Nobody in my family had a tattoo, let alone being a tattoo artist. When I told them this is what I want to do, they were hesitant, but came around to support me. Now my mom sports a tattoo I made," says Hannah, pointing to the change in perspectives.

Eric gives another example, "Earlier, people like doctors and solicitors wouldn't be seen sporting a tattoo, now I have them as my returning clients. We even get TY students coming to us for work experience.

"In fact, a teacher from Tullamore approached me to share the portfolio of a student of hers who is inclined to tattoo art. She is amazing at art. I will be giving her an apprenticeship after she finishes secondary school, for she doesn't want to take the college route.

"However, my advice to anyone wanting to explore tattooing is to first go to art school, discover art and mediums more deeply, and then come as a more informed and educated artist," he says in summation.