Hopes to have bronze statue in Eyre Square for 1916 celebrations
It will be well into the New Year before the two Pádraic Ó Conaire statues return to Galway – just in time for his starring role in the local 1916 anniversary commemoration.
Work on the bronze replica of the stone iconic statue is currently taking longer than expected at the foundry in Dublin.
Repairs were carried out to ensure the replica was as close to the 1934 original as possible. As well as work to his nose, sculptors have fixed the brim of the hat and some cracks along the neck line which appeared following an earlier repair job when the statue was decapitated.
The craftsmen have made the four silicon moulds pieces and are currently assembling them. This will then be used to make the LG3 bronze piece.
“This is very skilled, painstaking work. It’s a little slower than we had anticipated but we are happy enough because the quality is very, very good. This foundry is the best in the country and they’re very, very particular,” explained Gary McMahon, acting senior executive officer in Arts, Culture & Communications in Galway City Council.
“What will arise in Eyre Square early in the New Year will be a perfect reproduction – except for one aspect, instead of stone it will be bronze. And it will be a much lighter colour that the current statue which has weathered and gone black especially where people have been sitting on it.
“The new one will have a smooth appearance and be light grey like the original. The thing about Pádraic Ó Conaire is that this was really a piece of public sculpture, people owned it and got photographed on it.”
A final decision has yet to be made on where in Eyre Square the statue will be located. Ground works have to be carried out and lighting will likely be installed.
The original will return to Galway City Museum, its home for a number of years since the revamp of the square.
The official unveiling may take place during the 1916 centenary commemoration in the city.
While the Irish language writer and journalist was not directly associated with the Rising, he was very involved with the Gaelic League and was an avid supporter of the leaders.
A photo taken curing the 1913 Oireachtas gathering in the Galway Town Hall, which featured many of the key characters, showed Pádraic Ó Conaire sitting in the front row.
He also wrote seven short stories inspired by events in the GPO, Seacht mBua an Éirí Amach, all of which will be translated into English for the first time and published in a book to mark the centenary next Easter.