Munster In 30 Artworks, No 12: Architects of the Land, by Colin Grehan, Co Tipperary 

Not expecting to win the commission, the artist admits it was a daunting prospect when the two huge blocks of stone arrived at his studio 

Architects of the Land, by Colin Grehan, near Nenagh, Co Tipperary. 

Colin Grehan admits he didn’t quite realise what he was taking on when he won the commission for a public sculpture at the Nenagh Bypass in Co Tipperary in 1999. Having grown up in Templemore, just half an hour away, he knew the area well, and his proposal was for two limestone figures - a ploughman and a bull - one on each side of the road.

“Originally, there was a second artist involved,” he says. “Richard O’Meara, who had taught me sculpture at Limerick School of Art, was supposed to be doing it with me. But then Richard dropped out, saying he had too much else on as it was. Looking back, I wonder if he did it strategically, to give me a kick up the backside and get me making work on my own.”