Sculpture of heron stolen days after being unveiled in Cobh

Cobh Tidy Towns has said it is “gutted” after part of a wildlife sculpture was stolen from the town on Wednesday just over a week after it was unveiled.

The steel sculpture, which is at the Velvet House Cross, was created by artist Emma Jane Rushworth and features two herons, three Arctic terns, bulrushes and reeds.

Cobh Tidy Towns, who worked with Cork County Council on planning and fundraising for the sculpture, was notified on Thursday morning that one of the herons had been cut off the fixture.

“We are gutted. A much loved public art feature in our lovely town targeted just after a week,” a spokeswoman for Cobh Tidy Towns said. “The heron is a very distinctive piece, and we are hoping somebody will see it somewhere and report it to their local Gardai. We just want our bird back.”