A 12-foot statue of St Patrick holding a pint of Guinness was removed from outside Temple Bar pub in Dublin after just 24 hours – but artist Marc Kelly says it could return next week without the pint
The creator of a towering St Patrick statue clutching a pint of Guinness, which stood outside Temple Bar pub for barely a day before being taken down, has expressed optimism that the artwork could return next week following some modifications.
The 12-foot figure appeared outside the famous Dublin watering hole on Thursday morning, instantly sparking debate amongst residents. Workers initially installed the statue above the pub’s entrance, with Ireland’s patron saint proudly hoisting a Guinness.
However, the piece underwent swift alterations when workmen returned to cover the pint with a black bag, before replacing it with a green one shortly afterwards.
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Opinion across the capital was sharply divided over the installation, with critics branding it an unsightly addition whilst supporters applauded the tribute to Ireland’s patron saint.
Regardless of the mixed public reaction, Dublin City Council ordered its removal within 24 hours of it going up. The directive came after consultations between the council’s Planning Enforcement Section and the property owner, reports the Irish Mirror.
By Friday morning, the statue – complete with its pint of Guinness – was being hoisted onto a lorry by workers, bringing the brief display to an abrupt conclusion. A Dublin City Council representative informed the Irish Mirror: “Dublin City Council became aware of the installation yesterday morning. Following discussions between our Planning Enforcement Section and the owner of the premises he agreed to remove it by lunchtime today. The structure has been removed, as was agreed.”
Although Dublin City Council requested its removal, Marc Kelly, who created the installation, confirmed the artwork will undergo modifications, with the pint being taken away and the statue expected to return to its plinth within a week.
Speaking to presenter John Cooke on RTÉ Radio 1’s Liveline, he explained: “There was a request for a few changes,” and “And we decided just it should come down and come back up to us in Monaghan for some light work, and we’re going to get him back down to Dublin again then as soon as possible after.”
When questioned about the specific alterations, Marc revealed a request had been made to take away the pint – with optimism that St Patrick would make a swift return.
“Just some changes to make to it. And obviously the pint was covered and that, so we were just in discussions with the clients and that.
“So they requested that we make an adjustment to that design element, which won’t, hopefully take too long, so we’ll get it back and people getting it photographed again as soon as possible.”
Marc expressed his eagerness to see the installation reinstated in Dublin promptly, confirming the required modifications were underway. “Well, I don’t know, personally. I suppose I’m just working with the client on their request, and they’re obviously interacting with others, so they’ve just come to us this morning, said we have asked for it to be taken down, and if you can make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible, they’d love to see it back. And we’d love to see it back in Dublin pretty quick.”
The artist, from Sculp.ie, creates stage pieces for comedian Joanne McNally, Mr Tayto and Game of Thrones, and produced the giant Euro coin for CMAT’s latest album. He explained to John that the St Patrick sculpture was a collaborative effort.
“We’re a team of sculptors, really, and we would just take a design like this, it’s obviously drawn in house. We would have approval.
“Then we would buy in huge blocks of polystyrene, which is sculpted by hand, and the likes of St Patrick here, he’s then wrapped in fibreglass to give him like a boat or a car body finish for the elements that we have.
“That’s spray painted then so it goes into another process of sanding and spraying. There’s a fair bit of work that goes into them.
“And including, obviously, structural steel. St Patrick has a huge structural internal frame, so he would be secure if he’s suspended from a building. So there’s a team of people just with lots of different processes, and a job like that just entails lots of different work.”
The artist explained that creating a piece on this scale demands substantial effort and investment, with a dedicated team grafting for four weeks straight to achieve the desired result.
“There is a lot of cost,” he said. “With this sort of scale, I say that when you go into the steel work, you have to get structural steel made. There’s a fair bit of time spent on design before you even begin sculpting.
“And then you’ve got to have to have the necessary machinery to make it possible. Something like this, you could have a team of people maybe on it for up to four weeks solid.
“There is, obviously, a lot of expenses involved to make sure that it’s done to a spec that’s of a good standard for public arenas like this. It has to be impressive, and it has to tick all the boxes for clients as well.”
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