Survey Data
Reg No
50130158
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Social
Original Use
Statue
In Use As
Statue
Date
1950 - 1955
Coordinates
316156, 236695
Date Recorded
02/07/2018
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding 'cast-stone' statue, erected 1954, comprising standing figure of Blessed Virgin Mary on square-plan stepped limestone pedestal with incised lettering 'Ave Maria' and maker's mark 'Leo Broe & Sons, 94 Harold's Cross Rd', set on tiered granite chamfered base. Centrally located within planted flower bed in Our Lady's Park, bounded by Drumcondra Road, Tolka River and Botanic Avenue.
Appraisal
A statue of the Virgin Mary mounted on a limestone plinth bearing the inscription, 'Ave Maria', presumably erected in 1954 for the Marian Year declared by Pope John XXIII, which mobilized mainly working class communities across Dublin to erect statues of Our Lady. The statue is located within Our Lady's Park, formerly the site of Tolka Cottages, as shown on the third edition OS map of about 1910. In one scene of James Joyce's 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', published in 1916, the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, before crossing the bridge over the River Tolka, 'turned his eyes coldly for an instant towards the faded blue shrine of the Blessed Virgin who sat fowl wise upon a pole'. This suggests that there has been a statue present in some form close to this location prior to the early twentieth century, and elevates the interest of this example. The base bears the maker's mark 'Leo Broe & Sons'. Broe (1899-1966) was an accomplished artist and sculptor who produced many ecclesiastical works, as well as numerous depictions of prominent Irish Republicans. He was the father of Desmond Broe, another prominent sculptor with whom he set up the company of Leo Broe and Sons Sculptors, which presumably made this statue. As noted on the plinth, the company operated from 94 Harold's Cross Road, Dublin.