A STATUE OF the late Terry Wogan is set to be erected in his home county of Limerick, the mayor of the city has confirmed.
Speaking to the Limerick Leader, the mayor of Limerick, councillor Kieran O’Hanlon, said that plans will be drawn up for the statue in the coming weeks, after an agreement was made with Wogan’s family in the UK.
The legendary broadcaster died just over a year ago, following a short battle with cancer.
The sculpture will be erected on lower Thomas Street, linking with O’Connell Street, and is expected to cost in the region of €50,000.
The current idea being floated is that the statue will consist of Wogan sitting casually on a bench with a microphone, as if he was interviewing someone.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Mayor O’Hanlon said: “I was over in Westminster Abbey for Terry’s memorial service when the idea came about. He was a great ambassador for Ireland and I was fascinated by the amount of people who had such high regard for Terry.
I felt a fitting tribute would be some kind of statue for him in Limerick.
The planned location of the Wogan statue is near that of the statue of the late-Richard Harris, which depicts him in his role as King Arthur from Camelot, which was erected in 2011.
O’Hanlon hopes that the statue would help to attract visitors to the city, as Wogan had such a strong following in the UK and Ireland.
The Wogan statue would fit alongside wider plans to pedestrianise O’Connell street in Limerick city centre, which the mayor hopes will make the city “more attractive and friendly”.
An idea has even been mooted for a summer festival dedicated to Wogan in the city.
“There is huge scope to build on Terry’s legacy,” O’Hanlon added.
Although considered a national treasure in the UK for his popularity across TV and radio, his heart remained in his home county and country with President Michael D Higgins commenting following his death: “Always proud of his origins in Limerick, he made many returns to his native country for television and radio projects.”
Last September, it was announced that Wogan would receive a posthumous Irish diaspora award in honour of his contribution abroad.
Tributes have again been paid to Wogan, as the news of his death broke a year ago yesterday.
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