REPORT RECOMMENDS O CONAIRE STATUE STAYS IN CITY MUSEUM

Date Published: 09-Apr-2013

Galway City Council management is recommending that the Pádraic Ó Conaire statue remain housed at Galway City Museum.

The statue by Irish sculptor, Albert Power was erected in Eyre Square in 1935, but was moved to the museum in 2006, after several acts of vandalism and weather damage.

The most notable incidents of vandalism on the Ó Conaire statue were in 1984 when someone used a lump hammer to damage the hat and in 1999, when Pádraic’s head was broken off.

Some repairs have been carried out on the statue, which has also been damaged by weather and has scratching on the forehead and marks of what appears to be lipstick on the right cheek.

A report carried out by a sculpture conservator on behalf of the City Council recommends that the statue remain indoors to keep it protected.

The report also recommends restoration works to be undertaken on the Pádraic Ó Conaire statue.

The sculpture has been the subject of much debate in recent years, with some city councillors urging that a replica statue be placed in Eyre Square.