Cork in 50 Artworks, No 44: Red Dragon at the Lee Fields, by Jim Buckley

A familiar site at the riverside leisure area since the Cork 800 celebrations of 1985, the sculpture has survived numerous floods and even a makeover by fans of a local sports team 

Jim Buckley’s Red Dragon sculpture

Jim Buckley’s Red Dragon sculpture will be familiar to anyone visiting the Lee Fields on the southside of Cork. The steel structure dates to 1985, when Buckley, a graduate of the Crawford College of Art and Design, organised a Sculpture Symposium at the Anco Training Centre in Bishopstown. The event was supported by Cork 800, the committee established by Cork Corporation to commemorate the granting of the city’s charter in 1185.

Buckley invited five other artists – John Burke, Eilis O’Connell, Patrick O’Sullivan, Vivienne Roche and Hironori Katagiri – to participate. They had the use of the facilities at Anco, along with the assistance of the centre’s professional welders and trainees. All six produced work that was to be placed at different locations around the city.