Huge memorial to Athlone man erected in Sheffield cemetery

An elaborate and controversial memorial has been erected to Athlone native William 'Willy' Collins at a cemetery in his adopted home city of Sheffield.

The tribute, which is estimated to have cost in region of £200,000, was made from Italian marble and includes a solar-powered jukebox adorned with the cover of Joe Dolan's Greatest Hits.

Mr Collins was born in Athlone in December 1970, and is believed to have moved to England at the age of nine or ten.

The wording on his headstone states that he "went to Heaven on 7 July 2020, aged 49 years, in Puerto Pollensa, Spain."

The deceased was a bare-knuckle boxer and father of nine who was nicknamed the 'King of Sheffield'.

The size and scale of his memorial, which includes two life-sized statues of Mr Collins, a number of statues of Biblical imagery, and four Irish tricolours, has attracted widespread attention in recent days.

In a statement, Sheffield City Council said it had approved a monument to Mr Collins, but it had not given permission for the one that was ultimately erected.

"Sheffield City Council approved plans for a memorial, however the plans which were submitted and approved differ from the memorial now in place.

"This was not fully appreciated until after the structure was fully unveiled," said Cllr Alison Teal, Executive Member for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure at the city council.

Cllr Teal said the local authority had "reached out to the family and intend to discuss changes which need to be made in order to satisfy the cemetery rules and take into consideration other cemetery users.

"It would not be appropriate to discuss the details further as this is a sensitive matter and we wish to speak with the family fully in the coming days," she added, in a statement.

More than 20 months after his death, Mr Collins' headstone was unveiled on St Patrick's Day this year.

"Appearing as nothing less than a modern day mausoleum, Willy's grave is now marked by a 37-ton monument," wrote Alastair Ulke of the Sheffied Star.

"It features two life-sized statues of the bare-knuckle boxer's six-foot-two frame, and is crafted from solid Carrara marble from Italy.

"Other features include four flagpoles, depictions of Jesus Christ and biblical scenes, and a solar-powered jukebox playing the patriarch's favourite tracks – which mourners can also connect to through Bluetooth and play their own songs.

"The headstone is lit up in LED lights that change colour and is under 24-hour CCTV monitoring, which his family can also access on their phones and use to 'speak' to him."

The controversial monument has also attracted coverage in recent days from the BBC, the Daily Mail and the Guardian, among other news outlets.