National focus on Athlone sculpture row
The controversial public artwork chosen for Church Street in Athlone attracted national media attention this week, but a spokesperson for Culture Minister Josepha Madigan said it would "not be appropriate" for her to intervene in the row.
Rory Breslin's 11-foot 'Mask of the Shannon' sculpture was selected by Westmeath County Council for the €60,000 commission in April.
Since then a campaign objecting to the choice has mobilised, with arguments against it outlined in two open letters published in the Westmeath Independent in May and July.
Opponents of the sculpture stated that it depicts a colonial god concocted by the British in the 18th century, and that the piece instead ought to represent Sínann, the granddaughter of Lir in Irish mythology.
On Sunday, news website thejournal.ie published an article on the issue (headed 'How a Shannon-side sculpture sparked a culture war in Athlone'), and on Monday Athlone native Professor Ralph Kenna, who objects to the sculpture, was interviewed about it on Sean Moncrieff's programme on Newstalk.
When contacted by the Westmeath Independent this week, a spokesperson for the Culture Minister confirmed that she had received correspondence opposing the sculpture chosen for display in Athlone.
However, the spokesperson, Ruairí MacFhionnlaoich, said this was a matter for Westmeath County Council.
"We understand the commissioning of this art piece is a matter for the local authority and it would not be appropriate for the Minister to intervene," he said. Mr MacFhionnlaoich added that the Department had not contributed to the €60,000 cost of the piece.
A model of the planned 11-foot sculpture
Coosan resident Orla Donnelly, who has been active in the protest campaign, met with local Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran in relation to the issue on Wednesday of last week.
She said their meeting included discussion about possible solutions, including the idea that the council might cancel the piece and compensate Mr Breslin for any work he has done on it so far.
"That would be ideal, from our point of view," she said.
Ms Donnelly said 'Boxer' also asked if the protest group would be satisfied if a second art piece was commissioned and installed in conjunction with the Athlone Flood Relief Scheme.
"The second art piece is a nice idea but it's separate to the issue at hand, which is that the symbolism of the Church Street piece is wrong. A second sculpture wouldn’t undo the wrong of the first sculpture," she said.
As part of the protest campaign there was an arts and music demonstration on the August Bank Holiday Monday, which included people who object to the sculpture gathering to hold hands on Athlone's town bridge.
There are plans to continue the campaign with a 'Shout Out for Sínann' art and music demonstration from a boat on the river in Athlone on Sunday, September 1, at 4pm.