Councillors back plan to erect statue of Michael Collins in Cork
Michael Collins at St Francis Church on Broad Lane, Cork, on March 12, 1922. In the front row are (L-R) economic adviser and later judge Diarmaid Fawsitt, Commandant Cooney, Michael Collins, Pádraig O'Keeffe TD, Fr Leo Sheehan, Fr Edmund Walsh, and General Sean Mac Eoin. Irish Examiner Archive
Plans to erect a statue of Michael Collins in Cork City centre have taken a big step forward after city councillors voted overwhelmingly last night to support the project.
They voted 22 for, with one against and one abstention, in favour of Fine Gael councillor Shane O’Callaghan’s motion calling for the council to facilitate the installation of a statue of Michael Collins in the city to commemorate the centenary of his death and in recognition of his contribution to the struggle for independence and the establishment of an independent, democratic Irish State.
Mr O’Callaghan said he has been liaising on the project with a group of Collins enthusiasts, some of whom played key roles in the erection of the statue of Collins in Clonakilty, which was unveiled by actor Liam Neeson in 2002.
Jerry Carey, Noel Scannell, and Tim Crowley, of the Michael Collins Centre and Museum, near Clonakilty, have based their proposed city centre statue on an iconic photograph of the revolutionary leader, which shows him standing with the bicycle he cycled around Dublin while he was leading the military resistance to British rule and managing the finances of the outlawed Dáil government.
Mr O’Callaghan stressed that the group is a “historical and strictly non-political organisation whose goal is to honour the memory of Collins”, and that the statue would not cost the city a cent — that it would be paid for through fundraising.
“This is a unique opportunity for Cork to commemorate the centenary of the death of one of Ireland’s greatest heroes, one the city council should grasp with both hands,” he said.
However, Solidarity councillor Fiona Ryan said while she respects those involved, from a socialist perspective, she said she had to vote against the motion.
“Michael Collins can not be divorced from ultimate repercussions of the pro-Treaty side,” she said.
Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy, who noted that the city has had Michael Collins bridge since 1984, and a Seamus Murphy bust of Collins in Fitzgerald’s Park, which was donated by Dr Con Murphy, asked for clarification on the scale of investment and the dimensions of the proposed statue.
Councillors were told that all aspects of the proposal will be examined by city officials, with a report due to come back before council in due course. It is understood the statue could be in place by this time next year.
