Cork In 50 Artworks, No 16: Statue of St Gobnait at Ballyvourney, by Séamus Murphy

Séamus Murphy may have had run-ins with the Catholic Church, but his piece at Ballyvourney was a personal favourite. The lifesized statue also stands as testament to the enduring affection local people have had for the saint 

Statue of St Gobnait at Ballyvourney, by Séamus Murphy; right, Murphy at work on the statue. 

Séamus Murphy’s limestone statue of St Gobnait at Ballyvourney features a life-size representation of the saint. 

She is dressed in a shawl and perched on a beehive, around which are relief figures of the bees with which she is often associated; it is said she used honey in curing the sick, and directed her bees to terrorise anyone who threatened her community.