27 November 2019

‘A Gaelic Chieftain’
surveys the landscape
above a battle site

‘The Gaelic Chieftain’ by Maurice Harron off the N4, near Boyle, Co Roscommon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Patrick Comerford

The sculptures I stopped to see and admire on my way back from Sligo early last week included ‘The Gaelic Chieftain,’ a majestic road-side sculpture overlooking the site of the Battle of the Curlew Pass near Boyle, Co Roscommon.

This sculpture by Maurice Harron is on the N4 bypass about 2 km north-east of the battlefield. Nearby is a picnic area with views across Lough Key. But the peaceful setting of ‘The Gaelic Chieftain’ belies the brutal history of this area.

Maurice Harron’s sculpture was unveiled 20 years ago on 12 April 1999 to mark the 400th anniversary of the battle. It depicts Red Hugh O’Donnell who, on 15 August 1599, led a Gaelic Irish force to ambush the English as they marched through a pass in the Curlew Mountains.

This was the last victory by the rebels during the war, and one of the most important battles during the Nine Years’ War. It was fought between and English force under Conyers Clifford and Irish rebels under Red Hugh O’Donnell, who ambushed the English forces marching through the pass.

The English forces suffered heavy casualties and were defeated. Losses by allied Irish forces were not recorded but were probably minimal. It was a resounding victory for Irish rebels in a war that would lead to the Flight of the Earls and the Plantation of Ulster.

‘The Gaelic Chieftain’ is arguably the most experimental and impressive piece by the sculptor Maurice Harron. He was born in 1946 in Derry, grew up there, and studied sculpture at the Ulster College of Art and Design in Belfast.

Much of his work is public art sculpture and he has works on display throughout Ireland. His other acclaimed commissions include ‘Reconcilition/Hands Across the Divide’ in Carlisle Square, Derry, overlooking the Craigavon Bridge on the River Foyle.

His ‘Let the Dance Begin’ (2000), near the Lifford Bridge in Strabane, Co Tyrone, was commissioned by the Strabane Lifford Development Commission. It features five semi-abstract figures – a fiddler, a flautist, a drummer and two dancers – on the theme of music and dance, each 4 metres high and is made of stainless steel, bronze and ceramic tile mosaic. It is one of the largest pieces of public art in Ireland.

‘The Workers’ (2001) is a monument made from stainless steel and stone and is located at The Dry Arch Roundabout in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. It commemorates a generation of men who worked on building the original bridge and train track at the Dry Arch. He also created ‘The Rabble Children’ monument in Letterkenny.

He also has work in Britain and the Us, including the Irish Famine Memorial on Cambridge Common in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was dedicated on 23 July 1997.

‘The Gaelic Chieftain’ by Maurice Harron overlooks the site of the Battle of the Curlew Pass (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Saintly sculpture by
a riverside walk in
Carrick-on-Shannon

Will Fogarty’s sculpture of Saint Eidin in the Linear Park by the banks of the River Shannon in Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Patrick Comerford

On the way back from Sligo at the beginning of last week, two of us stopped in Carrick-on-Shannon, which straddles the River Shannon on the borders of Co Leitrim and Co Roscommon, to enjoy a riverside walk in the Linear Park.

There too I was pleased to see the beautiful sculpture of Saint Eidin, a local seventh century saint, by the West Limerick sculptor Will Fogarty of Fear na Coillte Chainsaw Sculptures.

Will Fogarty carved this new statue on the site and it was unveiled in August 2018.

Saint Eidin’s feast day is 5 July. She founded her convent on the shore of Lough Eidin, now known as Drumharlow Lake, just two miles from Carrick-on-Shannon. She died sometime before 700 AD.

She is the patron saint of Tumna parish and is buried in the ruins of a small church just north of Carrick-on-Shannon. Tuaim mná is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, and the names means ‘the tomb of the woman.’

In 1834, 11 purse gold balls believed to date back to 800 BC, were dug up near her convent ruins. Nine of the gold balls are on display in the National Museum of Ireland. The 11 bright stones at the foot of the statue are reminders of this find and of the prayer stones found at her tomb at Tumna.

Fish by the feet of Will Fogarty’s sculpture of Saint Eidin by the banks of the River Shannon in Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Will Fogarty’s other sculptures include three sculptures in the Forge Park beside the river walk in Tarbert, Co Kerry. He was commissioned by the Tarbert Development Association in 2014 to work on the tall stumps of three trees that had to be shortened after the storms of the New Year in 2014. He cut two faces from fables into two of the stumps and the Salmon of Knowledge from the Fianna myth into the third stump.

The two faces are of wood spirits; one is ‘The Spirit of Night,’ asleep with a wise owl by his beard; the second face, ‘The Spirit of Dawn,’ is awake to represent the dawning of the day, and has fish jumping out of his beard.

A third image, ‘The Salmon of Knowledge,’ marks Tarbert’s connection with salmon fishing in the River Shannon and also celebrates the local centre of knowledge at Tarbert Comprehensive School.

Will Fogarty also fashioned a number of seats from the tops of the trees he felled, and these make for a perfect spot to stop at in the Forge Park these days and to enjoy the summer sunshine.

Will Fogarty also calls himself Fear na Coillte, in reference both to the wood spirits in his work and to myself. He lives in the foothills of the Ballyhouras in Co Limerick, surrounded by mountains and forests, and spends time walking in them with Wag, his Labrador.

He began carving some years ago with walking sticks and staffs, made from hazel he collected in those forests. He still makes them on commission, but evolved into chainsaw carving and found his passion.

Most of his work is on a commission basis following briefs from clients. A large part of his work is done on stumps that are left behind when a tree is felled. All his work is in wood that has been felled by nature or has been cut down in a way that is sustainable.

Walking by the River Shannon at the Linear Park in Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)