Kilkenny to honour hurlers with major public artwork

A NATIONWIDE competition is to be launched to create a major public work of art to honour Kilkenny’s hurlers.

Mayor of Kilkenny Malcolm Noonan said the decision had been discussed by the local authority in the past, but had never come to fruition.

However, “the time is now right” after the county’s historic fourth consecutive All-Ireland final victory last Sunday. He believes that the Kilkenny hurling team has “lifted the national spirit at a difficult time for our country”.

Mr Noonan, a Green Party councillor, said it was “important that Kilkenny, as the country’s arts capital, should acknowledge and honour the cultural and social importance of hurling in the artistic sphere”.

Despite the game’s central role in Kilkenny life there is, surprisingly, no public monument celebrating hurling. The mayor said he hoped that the competition would result in a permanent monument which would “become a landmark and a focal public gathering point” and “an icon for tourists”.

The project will not require the council to raise new funds as money is already set aside under the “Percent for Arts” scheme from various road capital spending projects. Under the State scheme, public bodies are required to allocate 1 per cent of the cost of public works projects for the arts – usually sculpture.

When the project was last discussed by councillors, there was unanimous support for the idea. Fianna Fáil councillor Andrew McGuinness said: “This is something that people want”. He said Kilkenny was “known as the home of hurling” and “the first thing that people ask you about when you say you are from Kilkenny is hurling. We need a monument to recognise that”.

The location for what is likely to be a significant piece of sculpture is under discussion, but it is expected to be close to Kilkenny Castle. Organisations such as the Heritage Council and the National Crafts Council – headquartered in Kilkenny – are to be consulted.

It is understood that once the details are agreed, the competition will be advertised in the national press. Artists will be invited to submit proposals.

The mayor has already overseen the acquisition of a painting of Kilkenny hurling, by local artist Marley Irish, which has gone on display in the council chamber.

Hurling is a rare subject in Irish art, although there are a number of life-size statues of famous hurlers at locations around the country. These include a bronze of Christy Ring, the legendary Cork player, in his hometown of Cloyne.

The last significant work of art commissioned for a public space in the southeast region was the monument to the late US president JF Kennedy which was unveiled in New Ross, Co Wexford, last year.