A look at some of Cork's most famous statues and sculptures 

With efforts well under way for a new statue of Michael Collins in the city centre, this week’s Nostalgia takes a look at some of the city’s most famous statues and sculptures.

Perhaps the best known in Cork’s statue collection is that of Father Theobald Mathew on Patrick Street.

Leesiders in their droves took to the street on October 10, 1864, when the statue was unveiled.

A Capuchin priest, Fr Mathew served for most of his life in Cork. He became an influential figure in the city in the first half of the nineteenth century.

In addition to his role in the temperance movement, he was greatly admired in Cork for his efforts to alleviate distress during the cholera epidemic of 1832 and during the Great Famine.

However, Fr Mathew’s latter years were dogged by some controversy.

Despite being among 60,000 people, including Daniel O’Connell, who signed a petition in 1841 urging the Irish in the US not to partake in slavery, Fr Mathew would later betray this cause on a visit to the States when he came under the influence of people who opposed abolition, including slavers themselves and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York. Rather than using his platform to speak out against slavery, Fr Mathew kept quiet. He defended his position by saying that there was nothing in the scripture that prohibited slavery.

The statue, which has now been on Patrick Street for more than 150 years, was designed by sculptor John Hogan who passed away before he could begin the work. It was then completed by John Foley and W. Atkins, who designed the pedestal.

At Fitzgerald Park, a bust of Michael Collins created by renowned sculptor Seamus Murphy was unveiled by Chief Justice Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, who would later become president of Ireland, in June 1966.

In 2008, a bust of Tom Barry cast from a sculpture by Seamus Murphy was also unveiled in the park and in 2016 a bust of Éamon de Valera, also by Seamus Murphy, was unveiled at the location.

Cork artist Geraldine Creedon, a friend of the late guitar virtuoso, created the bronze sculpture which takes the form of a guitar on one side, while the other side is made up of intertwined lyrics from Gallagher’s 1982 album, Jinx.

In 2002, a sculpture of former Taoiseach Jack Lynch was unveiled in Blackpool Shopping Centre. The bronze statue of the northside native was done by Cork sculptor, James McCarthy.

Meanwhile, Cork Airport is home to memorial statues of two icons in the world of sport - former Ireland manager and World cup winner with England, Jack Charlton and hurling legend, Christy Ring.

The bronze statue of Charlton, which was once located near the landmark pond in the airport’s old terminal building is now upstairs in the new terminal. 

Outside football, the late Jack Charlton who passed away in 2020, loved his country pursuits and was a keen fisherman. 

The statue of Christy Ring was unveiled by then Minister for Sport, Bernard Allen in October 1995.