A Cork Metropolis councillor has succeeded in his second try and safe the mandatory assist to erect a statue of Struggle of Independence chief Michael Collins.
ine Gael councillor and barrister Shane O’Callaghan proposed at Monday’s assembly of Cork Metropolis Council {that a} statue of Common Collins, who was the Taoiseach/Charman of the Government Council and Finance Minister of the Free State when he was shot at Béal na Blath in August 1922, be erected within the metropolis echoing the well-known {photograph} of the west Cork man along with his bicycle.
He had beforehand proposed the erection of a statue of Michael Collins alongside Tomás MacCurtain, who was murdered by the Black & Tans and Terence MacSwiney who died on starvation strike in Brixton Jail. That proposal had been defeated when Fianna Fáil councillors voted towards it however, on this event, his proposal received nearly unaminous assist, other than one dissenting vote by Solidarity’s Cllr Fiona Ryan and an abstention from Cllr Lorna Bogue.
“He’s a Corkman, Cork was his principal metropolis,” Cllr O’Callaghan mentioned to The Corkman afterwards. “He’s a hero deserving of commemoration, An Taoiseach described him as one of many biggest Irish males ever whereas Leo Varadkar mentioned he was the prophet of Irish freedom, by no means fated to succeed in the promised land.”
Cllr O’Callaghan defined that the statue wouldn’t be paid for out of tax payers funds however by the use of a public fundraising marketing campaign. Whereas he had no precise location in thoughts for the statue, he expressed a hope that it might be situated on Patrick Avenue at ‘floor degree’ reasonably than on a plinth as it might signify that Michael Collins was a person of the folks.
“My private choice is Patrick Avenue – I’d be open to completely different views on that offered it’s in an acceptable place in Cork metropolis centre.”
In keeping with Cllr O’Callaghan, Patrick Avenue with simply two statues, one in all Fr. Matthew, the Temeperance priest, and one other of the ‘Echo Boy’, may do with some extra statues and Michael Collins was best as he could be remembered as respectfully 100 years from now as he’s at preseent.
“The proposal is that it is going to be on account of a fund elevating marketing campaign involving members of the Collins 100 committee, a strictly non-political committee devoted to the reminiscence of Michael Collins.
“They are going to elevate the mandatory funds, have the statue commissioned, constructed and offered to the Metropolis Council and all of the Council should do is facilitate its placement.”
