Category: Sculpture - Reading the Signs

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Saying Thanks to Choctaw Indians

21/11/2015

I had read of this sculpture being made earlier this year.

It was the first time I read of the donation by the Choctaw Indians to the Irish in the famine times.

Choctaw was filed away in my mental log with Billie Joe MacAllister. I am not sure I knew of it as a Native American tribe – let alone one who was so generous to Ireland.

The Long March is now on the ‘Books To Look Out For’ list. A trip to photograph the plaque at the Mansion House is also on a To Do list – but I am unlikely ever to get to Cleveland.

Heading east today, the sculpture is in place and visible from the by-pass.

I suspect that it has not yet been officially unveiled – if that is the appropriate word for something so big that no veil will cover. I hope that an information board is being prepared for that day to tell the story.

Well done Alex Pentek

UPDATE 2016.11.30

Over a year later, surfing through YouTube, I come across Damien Dempsey's message of thanks - definitely recommend a listen

Carved Harp and Organ

8/11/2015

Some more headstones from St Finbarr’s Cemetery by Seamus Murphy - this time depicting a church organ and a harp.

Definitely, an open air gallery.

John Boyd Dunlop

6/11/2015

More work of Seamus Murphy that I spotted this week – after my conversational Irish class.

That is some beard that Mr Dunlop had.

Considering that John Boyd Dunlop died when Seamus Murphy was only fourteen, I wonder what he had to work on to create a 3-D image.

The plaque is not very prominently located – considering this is my third year attending at the O’Rahilly Building each Wednesday evening of a 20 week course and this was the first time that the corridor door was open and I saw it.

A Fish - Carved

5/11/2015

I spotted this work by Seamus Murphy when at St Finbarr’s Cemetery recently.

I do like.

It has got me thinking that the number of blog posts about Seamus Murphy’s work and the number of other headstones and statues that I have photographed on my travels may be best in a separate section.

Another for the To Do list

I Remember Where I Was When…..

12/9/2015

A while back, I commented on Grandad’s site that there were only three such occasions that I could remember – Ayrton Senna’s death; Princess Diana’s death; and, Twin Towers on 9/11.

I remember thinking, shortly after writing that, at the time of Nelson Mandela’s death that the list would extend to four – but that has not proven to be the case.

I was reminded of this earlier this week, two days before 9/11, when we had our final Conversational Irish Walk. The venue was St Finbarr’s Cemetery, prompted by a tweet from Irish Garrison Towns, advising of an online map. The venue definitely provided very many topics of conversation and some new vocabulary.

As we turned the gate for home, we spotted this lovely triptych memorial – smooth or one face and rough elsewhere; bullaun type depression on top to trap water. The curve was definitely tactile.

I did recall that Ruth Clifford McCourt was originally from Cork but had not realised that she and her daughter were buried in Cork.

Something else to add to that memory of talking with MOS outside a school prior to a construction site meeting fourteen years ago.

Remembering The Famine

2/9/2015

The famine came up twice today.

Over coffee, NK mentioned the Irish Famine Pots website which reminded me of a previous blog about the Famine Bowl in Ballingeary.

Then I spotted a tweet by C.C.I.F.V. about the excellent sculpture memorial between Lahinch and Ennistymon.

That has prompted me to group together my photographs of famine memorial locations and start to create a separate section on the website which hopefully will be fully updated later in the week.

A Star Danced And Under That I Was Born

22/8/2015

Prompted by Seamus Murphy.

There are quite a number of blog entries here concerning Seamus Murphy – plaques, headstones, and even dog water troughs. There are many other photographs of his work taken that could yet appear hereabouts.

Earlier in the summer, we were in Gougane Barra, and spotted the headstone to Tadhg Ó ’Buachalla, and his wife Ainstí which was carved by Seamus Murphy.

This led to the buying of Stories of The Tailor which was read during my holidays and The Tailor and Antsy which was packed away for this weekend.

The more one learns, the more one realises how much one does not know.

Johnny O'Leary - Box Player

8/8/2015

Another traditional Irish musician spotted on my travels – well a memorial spotted.

This time, Seán Ó Laoire (Johnny O’Leary) of Slaibh Luachra .The statue is located at The Hahah (An Háhá !!!) in Killarney. He was twelve when playing to an audience for the first time in Gneeveguilla; a melodeon player, he was born in 1924 and died in 2004; he received the TG4 Gradam Saoil Award in November 2003 shortly before he passed away; and, the statue was unveiled in 2007.

Canon James Goodman

29/7/2015

Another statue to a traditional musician spotted on my travels recently – this one in Skibbereen.

James Goodman was Canon at Abbeystrewery in Skibbereen; born in Dingle; collector of a huge number of traditional tunes; and professor of Irish at Trinity College Dublin.

Once more learning from the signs.

Chief O'Neill

23/7/2015

As promised, another traditional musician who was unknown to me until I spotted a sign on the Drimoleague to Bantry road to this monument.

From the information at Tralibane and on the web, I now know just a bit more about the flute player, Francis O’Neill. He left West Cork in 1865 and rose to Chief of Police in Chicago, where he recruited many other traditional musicians. He was forever collecting tunes.

We will note 11th to 13th September in diary for a possible visit.

Pádraig Ó Caoiṁ - Last of Sliabh Luachra Master Fiddle Players

23/7/2015

Willie Clancy’s statue reminded me of the very many statues to Irish musicians that I have taken – so many of whom I had not heard previously.

A while back, I did put photographs and details of some, but the many more I have seen since means that they will be cropping up in the near future.

I wonder if in the future, musicians will be remembered electronically rather than in sculpture like Padraig O’Keeffe in Scartaglen.

'The Irish language is the greatest music of all"

19/7/2015

‘Is í an Ghaeilge an ceol is ansa liom”

A few weeks back, I went to Ó Bhéal, upstairs at The Long Valley. Seán Ó Roideacháin was the guest poet. His readings were in both Irish and English.

It brought home to me the lyrical nature and lovely sound of Gaeilge. Seán generally read each poem in Irish and then English translation. There was no doubt in my ears that the Irish version had a cadence about it – the flow and rhythm was so much smoother than the English.

Maybe I have a slight bias in having started conversational Irish classes a while back but my knowledge level was such that I could not fully understand the Irish so was probably more in tune with the sound.

It reminded me of the caption on the statue to Willie Clancy at Milltown Malbay that I thought that I’d share.

Coillte Come Home

11/7/2015

I left college in 1987 and was one of only two who stayed in the country. Most of the others left for the London construction boom.

During those college years, I shared houses with a few lads from Mayo. Maybe because of them, the buses home from the Quays at the weekends, the impending emigration, or for whatever reason, the name of the Coillte Come Home Festival took up some shelf space in my mind and has remained since.

It is said that Kiltimagh gave its name to the expression ‘Culchie’.

This sculpture in Kiltimagh brought that memory back to the fore when I saw it last year.

I did mention that there would be more from Kiltimagh

A Fitting Memorial

6/7/2015

Another from my recent walk around St. Finnbarr’s Cemetery.

I thought it a work of pure craftsmanship and so appropriate.

It calls out to be touched.

Reading the Western People

5/7/2015

Did you spot the Pioneer Pin?

This time last year, I was in Mayo for NM’s funeral.

I took the opportunity to spin around and ended up for the first time in my life in Kiltimagh. This weekend, I was catching up on John Spillane – An Fánaí on TG4 Player when he visited Kiltimagh.

He reminded me of this sculpture, so well positioned on the Main Street – it could so easily be real.

Expect a few more over the coming weeks.