When Ötzi ‘The Iceman’ was discovered in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, one of the most remarkable things about him was the 61 inkings on his body. Thought to have been done with a single-point puncture tool tipped with carbon pigment, the find shows that tattooing was as popular with our ancestors 5,000 years ago as it is today.
But while permanent body art is nothing new, Cork tattoo artists say people are increasingly opting for the more unusual — and even the downright bizarre.
For their more “daring” customers, the Black Poppy Tattoo Parlour on Winthrop Street in Cork City is offering a ‘lucky dip’. They have installed an American-style gumball machine where, in return for a fee,…