A car which failed to stop after gardaí flagged it down drove off at speed in Sligo town yesterday morning and crashed into a statue of WB Yeats, smashing it in three places.
No one was injured in the incident which happened about 4am outside the Ulster Bank in the town's Stephen Street.
The £20,000 work, commissioned by the Ulster Bank and the people of Sligo to mark the 50th anniversary of Yeats's death, was erected in May 1990.
The dandy-like pose of the poet, with lines from his work engraved on the bronze, created controversy in the early years.
The sculptor, Rowan Gillespie, said he hadn't yet seen the damage but he was "pretty sure" the statue would survive.
"The statue has stood the test of time . . . I've never yet come across a bronze that cannot be repaired," he said.
Sligo Borough Council workers removed the shattered pieces to storage. Deputy Mayor Jimmy McGarry said he hoped the 1.4m statue could be repaired. "The council would be very anxious to have it reinstated in its established site," he added.
A Garda spokesman said last night a man in his 20s was arrested and later released on his own bail. He will appear on a drink-driving charge at Sligo District Court on September 1st.