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LAST UPDATE | 27 Feb
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has confirmed it ordered the removal of the giant statue of St Patrick raising a pint outside Dublin’s Temple Bar Pub less than 24 hours after it first appeared on the city centre landmark.
The 14-foot figure, which was installed yesterday morning and depicted Ireland’s patron saint holding what appeared to be a pint of Guinness above the corner of the tourist pub, was removed earlier today.
In a statement to The Journal, Dublin City Council said it became aware of the installation yesterday morning.
“Following discussions between our Planning Enforcement Section and the owner of the premises he agreed to remove it by lunchtime today.
“The structure has been removed, as was agreed,” it said.
Workers were seen detaching the statue from the front of the building before loading it onto a trailer this morning.
A member of the installation team, speaking at the site this morning, described the removal as a “pity”. Meanwhile. passersby stopped to record St Patrick’s fall from grace, and several could be heard asking workers where the artwork would go.
The installation of the figure and its sudden removal has become something of a national talking point both online and in traditional media coverage.
Marc Kelly, the Monaghan artist behind the installation, told The Journal he first heard it was removed when reading the news this morning.
“It was a shock to me,” he said, “I did not expect it to be taken down”.
Speaking before the council issued its statement Kelly said he didn’t know why it was removed. He and his team at Sculp.ie spent five weeks building the structure after it was commissioned by The Temple Bar Pub, he said.
The installation had already undergone alterations within hours of going up.
Shortly after 10.30am yesterday, workers covered the pint in the saint’s hand with a black plastic bin bag. An hour later, this was replaced with a green cloth.
The beer was covered with green material and shamrocks this morning, presumably to give the appearance St Patrick is now holding a bunch of shamrocks, rather than a pint.
Kelly is no stranger to Irish icons having previously built the Mr Tayto installation for Meath’s Emerald Park (formerly, obviously, Tayto Park).
He also worked on artwork for the set of Game of Thrones, built a plane sculpture for Belfast International Airport and created the Rossmore Park sculptures in Monaghan.
Four artists worked on the 14-foot St Patrick sculpture, which Kelly said is a “lot bigger than you’d imagine”.
Kelly said a large metal frame was used to provide the structure for the installation and sculpted fibreglass was used to finish it. The team hand-painted the statue, which features shades of green and gold.
Speaking to The Journal, a worker involved in the removal of the sculpture this morning said he wasn’t sure what the pub’s plans for the huge bust were.
When asked where the installation crew planned to cart the bust off to, he responded, tongue placed firmly in cheek, that they might “take him to the zoo” now that he’s seen Temple Bar”.
The Temple Bar Pub has been contacted for comment.
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