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A SINN FÉIN councillor is seeking that a statue of the late, legendary singer Sinéad O’Connor be erected in Dublin city.
Leslie Kane, a local representative for Ballymun-Finglas, asked Dublin City Council this week about the possibility of erecting the statue. The issue previously arose in August after reports that the council were seeking policy changes to do so.
O’Connor died of natural causes in July 2023 in London, UK. She was reposed in Bray, Co Wicklow shortly after her death and buried in Deansgrange, Dublin.
A sculpture, erected in Dublin’s Wax Museum last year to mark the first anniversary of her death, was pulled from the exhibition the following day after Sinéad’s brother, John, called RTÉ Radio One’s Liveline to express his unhappiness with the waxwork.
Shortly after, discussions took place within Dublin City Council on whether a statue could be unveiled in the city, and where. Currently, an artist or noteworthy person must be deceased for at least 20 years before a public sculpture can be dedicated to them.
Kane told The Journal that discussions on changing the policy came up again after Irish boxer Kellie Harrington won her second Olympic gold medal during the summer. Councillors have yet to be updated on whether or not any changes will be implemented.
“There’s a lack of representation of female statues in the city,” Kane said, adding that the history of important Irish women is not “visible” in Dublin.
“It’s something that I would like to see more of. And residents of my area have been onto me as well regarding the issue – it’s something that’s close to people’s hearts.”
There was cross-party support for the policy to be changed in August last year, with then-Dublin City Lord Mayor James Geoghegan also saying that he was in favour of the policy being redrafted so a statue can be dedicated to the singer.
Kane said she hopes the new Fine Gael Lord Mayor, Emma Blain, will continue her predecessor’s commitment to changing the policy – adding that she will also continue to engage with the council on the issue.
The Journal reported last August on discussions taking place to erect a statue of O’Connor in Bray. O’Connor grew up in various parts of Dublin and later bought a home in the seaside Wicklow town.
Green Party councillor Erika Doyle said that there were no formal plans in place but added that she would “love to see” the singer represented in Bray.
She believes that any future plans for a monument to be erected in O’Connor’s honour should be done after consultation with her immediate relatives, who still live in the area.
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Gender quotas for statues lol
@Peter Igloo: get up off your knees and take your tongue out off the crying lying treacherous sex offender fraudster orange things neither regions
@Peter Igloo: She deserves it because she was brilliant. It should be that simple, woke nonsense.
@Robert Halvey: go back on the tablets
@Brian Keelty: She wasn’t brilliant. She had a good voice that’s it. She destroyed her legacy for womens rights when she converted to Muslim and her kids wouldn’t have many good things to say about her.
@Ger Whelan: She was troubled. You should read her autobiography: it might help you to be less judgemental (and it’s a great read).
@Brendan O’Brien: with the exception of typing Muslim instead of Islam what did I say that isn’t true?. Why would I read her autobiography? Not like that’s not biased and based on her opinion of herself. What people think of themselves and what others think and know of them are completely different. Ask her family if they think she deserves a statue. Their opinion is all that matters
@Ger Whelan: She isn’t very kind to herself in it, quite the opposite in fact (without coming off self-pitying). So I don’t think he’s suggesting you read it to come out saying ‘Oh, isn’t she great, actually?’. It’s an interesting read. Not for everyone, and I still don’t expect you to read it, but autobiographies aren’t always an exercise in showing the world how great you are. I say all that as someone who never particularly liked her as a person over the years. What I’ve seen of her family speaking about her was kinder than she was to herself.
@Robert Halvey: You really should seek professional help!
The woke Shinners
@common sense: Crawl back under your bed little boy.
@common sense: go back to school, you can’t even sort out that common sense and woke are the same thing
More Shinner nonsense
Put up a statue of her absolutely. But because of who she was and what she achieved. She deserves it imo.
But NOT because of lack of female representation. What a rubbish reason.
@reg morrisey: She earns it on merit alone.
@reg morrisey: They’re both good reasons.
@reg morrisey: Absolutely, she was a wonderful artist. Stood up to evil when nobody else did. She paid a huge price for that, both her career and mental health suffered. She was right. A statue in the city near Phil please.
@Nat C: publicity stunt backfired on her, spectacularly
@reg morrisey: so the lack of female representation heretofore is ok?
@reg morrisey: I think there should be a statue of Enoch Bourke erected outside his school. It’s very cold standing out there every day. And of course he is troubled too.
No thanks stick it in Bray where she is from if they want it
@Trump24: Dublin then.
@Trump24: she’s from Glenageary
@Kevin Kerr: correct.
@Trump24: She was from Dublin, originally, Glenageary to be exact.
Are we doing statues of Muslims already? Mad stuff from sharia Fein
@Bertie: OK bigot.
Can we have a statue of a non binary individual for equality purposes please
@Joe Beirne: Bambi thug, ffs
@Joe Beirne: we have enough depictions of god
Hardly a roll model
@AnthonyK: Role* and she was a legend
@AnthonyK: She was for many. Some great writing. And she could spell.
@Jack Hayes: and prince so also
Sweet mother of jehovah, we’ll have statues on every corner soon. Is this really the best way to honour and immortalise somebody?
@Ben dover: And a friend of a friend’s friend will get a nice juicy commission for a very mediocre statue!
Didn’t the press hound her for decades re her lifestyle choices?
@Argus Romsworth: Yes, some, and they are not campaigning for or against a statue.
Will she be wearing a Burqa?
@Dan Murphy: …or perhaps a Cardinal’s mitre!
Statue of mcdonald and O’Neill as nymphs. That would turn a head or two.
@Alan: That would probably block the entire street – things are bad enough!
@Alan: The mind boggles!
Sorry but is this all the worries people these days
@Tim Brennan: no
Bring back the floozie in the jacuzzi. That will help address the gender imbalance!
@Padraig O’Brien: FYI: Floozie currently residing in that tiny park on your left approaching Huston station.
@Keth Tgi: Heuston* Station actually…Croppies Memorial Park to be exact
Need a statue of Mr tayto first ..
The councillor should organise the restoration of fingers and thumbs of the statue of Theobald Mathew, the temperance priest who stands beside the spire on O’Connell St. He stands very smartly in Patrick St, Cork.
Let’s do what everyone’s thinking and put that statue of Bambi Tugg up now.
I wonder who it will look like ?
This guy gets about €30k a year for employing his three brain cells.
have your say