Goddess and Bronze Age girl landmark sculptures adorn Cork bypass

MOTORISTS travelling east and west on the now fully opened N22 bypass of Macroom and Baile Mhúirne can add two new landmarks to the roadmap of public art projects across the country.

Cork’s two newest pieces of public art are to be found on the edge of the Múscraí Gaeltacht and feature two female figures, one of a Bronze Age girl whose remains were found during excavations for the road-building project — one of the largest such projects in the history of the State with a price tag of €300m — and the other of the ancient Irish goddess, Áine, also known as Anú or Danú, which is viewable by drivers heading west along the road.

Burial site

The remains of the Bronze Age girl were found in a burial site during the archaeological works for the N22 development.

She had been cremated and buried with considerable care at Kilnagurteen about 3,500 years ago.

The goddess Áine is associated in ancient history with fertility, abundance and the midsummer part of the year and, geographically, she is linked to the Paps, the two breast-like mountains which can be seen by westbound drivers from the new road.

The Áine sculpture is located on the raised verge facing oncoming westbound traffic in the townland of Coolavokig and has been positioned to face the summer solstice sunrise.

The Bronze Age Girl sculpture is located on the raised verge facing oncoming eastbound traffic in the townland of Carrigaphooca, and it is positioned to face the winter solstice sunset.

Both sculptures were created in ferrocement over a mesh and stainless-steel framework and include natural pigments distilled from rocks found in the Baile Mhúirne area. 

Per Cent for Art scheme

Both were commissioned under the Per Cent for Art scheme which allocates a certain portion of the overall budget of major road projects for public art. As the contracts were signed before the end of 2019, the amount allocated for the commissions fell under a limit of €60,000 which, had the contracts been signed after December 31, 2019, would have meant the allocation for public arts for the project would have been considerably more.

The Mayor of County Cork Frank O’Flynn said the sculptures created by Sarah Goyvaerts and her team had “brought history and myth to life”.

“As we unveil these captivating sculptures along the N22 development, we are celebrating the many benefits that the Macroom to Baile Mhúirne bypass has brought to the community, paving the way for future growth, while also looking to our past,” he said.

Ms Goyvaerts, who is based in West Cork, said that the sculptures serve as “an acknowledgement of the deep ancestral connection to the land that is at the very core of Múscraí’s cultural creativity and spirit of place”.