Replica of Ó Conaire statue will return to Eyre Square

Date Published: 01-Jun-2010

THE statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire is definitely remaining in his new home – but his double is to return to Eyre Square at least six years after city council promised he would be.

The much-loved iconic Galway statue was removed during the renovation of the Square and then unveiled as a centrepiece in the Galway City Museum.

Cllr Padraig Conneely (FG) asked last night’s city council meeting what had happened to the replica, which was meant to be returned to the Square once its makeover was completed.

This was agreed by councillors over six years ago as a condition of removing the statue for the place it had occupied for 70 years.

“If we’re not going to have a replica then we should have Pádraic Ó Conaire brought back [to Eyre Square]. There’s room for him there. The Sails are outdated, Pádraic Ó Conaire is more photogenic than the Sails. Visitors are disappointed he’s locked away in a museum,” he stated.

Cllr Tom Costello (Lab) concurred. He said before a brick on the major renovation was lifted the councillors had received a commitment from City Hall that the replica would be returned in his traditional spot.

Director of services, Tom Connell said the statue had been a great success in its new home and was very popular with visitors. The piece had been placed there to ensure its safety after a number of vandalism incidents. While there had been a plan to produce a replica, there was not enough money in the budget to pay for it, he added.