12ft seafarer shanty sculpture for Cobh

Cobh is set to be decorated with a major new statue in the coming months after patrons Garry and Anne Wilson of Belvelly Castle commissioned a 12-foot-tall seafarer shanty sculpture, which will be installed in the seaside town.

The Wilsons commissioned British artist Ray Lonsdale to craft the magnificent metal singing seafarer sculpture. Mr Lonsdale has spent five months crafting the piece from corten steel, a material with a high nickel and copper content that will survive for centuries.

The statue, which is around twice the size of the average person, depicts a bearded sailor playing a squeeze box while singing ‘The Holy Ground’, with one of his booted feet resting on a stool.

Mr Lonsdale explained the statue was inspired by a sea shanty reflecting Cobh’s maritime heritage. “It’s quite labour intensive,” he said. 

“You have to make a 3D mosaic and every piece is a separate piece of steel.”

The unveiling of the statue will take place in the coming months with the exact date yet to be announced.

The statue is currently in Mr Lonsdale’s workshop near Sunderland, about 800kms from Cobh, and it is envisaged it will be installed in a prominent place in the town where tourists and locals can take selfies and enjoy the craftsmanship.

“I would hope it would happen in the next couple of months,” added Mr Lonsdale, who said he intends to travel to Cork to see it in place.

Speaking to social media agency, Cobh 2023, Gary Wilson said: “With regard to the seafarer statue, Anne and I have seen several of Ray’s pieces on the northeast coast of England, and they are absolutely stunning and attract many visitors.

“We thought that, if there was support for it and the right location in Cobh then it would give people yet another reason to visit our beautiful town.”

The commission follows on from the Gaia installation at Cobh Cathedral last year, part of the Cork Midsummer Festival, which was also brought to the town by the Wilsons.