New project bids to solve mystery of local Goldsmith statue
A new project is hoping to unravel the mystery of the statue of writer Oliver Goldsmith which stands in his birthplace at Pallas, close to the Centre Parcs holiday resort, a few miles from Ballymahon.
The statue is a plaster version of the famous bronze sculpture of Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) at the front of Trinity College Dublin, created by the renowned Victorian sculptor, John Henry Foley, who was also responsible for the massive Daniel O'Connell statue on Dublin's main thoroughfare.
Although the plaster version is thought to date from the mid-19th century, around the time of the creation of the bronze, it is currently uncertain why it was made, new tender documents published by Longford County Council reveal.
It is looking for qualified consultants to undertake an assessment of the statue in a bid to find out its origins and to come up with a plan for the repair and long-term conservation/display of the striking sculpture for the local authority, in consultation with the Oliver Goldsmith Literary Festival Committee, who honour the talented playwright, satirist, journalist and author with a three-day event celebrating his legacy every year.
In 1974, the Goldsmith Society brought the plaster statue of the writer to Pallas, the site of his former rectory birthplace.
Housed within a small stone structure on the site, it is accessed by an iron gateway in enclosed meadow parkland known as the Pallas Pollinator Project with a wildflower meadow, natural seating and native planting.
Nearby Forgney is the site of the village church where the famed writer was baptised. A memorial window to the author remains within the church building.
In 1730 the family moved to Lissoy parsonage, close to The Pigeons, and it was here the writer probably best known for his poem 'The Deserted Village' and plays like 'She Stoops to Conquer' or books like 'The Vicar of Wakefield' was reared and went to school. Further along the main N55 road is the area referred to as ‘Sweet Auburn’ in Goldsmith's many works, while a church in Kilkenny West, Glasson was associated with Rev Charles Goldsmith, Oliver's father.
Several theories are put forward in the tender documents for the consultants to prove or disprove in terms of the origins of the plaster-based statue which appears to be of mid-century casting plaster, on an iron armature which was then covered in a bronze coloured paint.
One is that it is a plaster copy of the Goldsmith bronze, part of a pair by the London-based sculptor at Trinity College, the other being Edmund Burke.
The second opinion put forward in the tender documents is that the Pallas plaster representation could have been created prior to the bronze, just for display purposes to boost subscriptions to get it made or maybe, it was the actual mould from which the bronze statue was crafted which would certainly make it more special and interesting.
“Part of this project will be to determine, as far as is possible, which of these - if any - is correct,” the documents explain, saying that the statue is now in “poor condition” with multiple cracks caused by the iron corroding and expanding. Some elements, such as his fingers have broken off, it adds.
In a video produced for the 2020 Goldsmith Festival, Heritage Officer in Longford Máiréad Ní Chonghaile said: “Further research is actually needed on this to help us determine exactly what we are dealing with here but we do know it is very special, something that is needed to be conserved and looked after. For many years, we thought this was a 1960s copy taken from the mould and over time it has deteriorated and is need of conservation, something that the Goldsmith committee and Longford County Council are starting to make progress on”.
The tender deadline is June 10 next, and the project, to include a public talk and presentation on the statue, will be completed by November. It is part of the County Longford Heritage Plan 2019-2024 and is funded by the Heritage Council, with the support of Longford County Council.