Bronze bust of McCourt for city

LIMERICK is to honour the late award-winning author Frank McCourt with a bronze bust which will be unveiled in the city centre on May 13.

West Clare sculptor Seamus Connolly was commissioned to do the bust.

He has already completed life-size bronze statues of John B Keane, which stands in Listowel, Olympic athlete Paddy Ryan, which is located in Pallasgreen and a life-size statue of the actor Richard Harris in Kilkee.

His father, Jim Connolly, made the life-size bronze of Richard Harris commissioned by Limerick City Council and which is located in Bedford Row.

The bust of the Pulitzer Prize winning author, who was 78, has been commissioned by Limerick artist Una Heaton, a friend of Frank McCourt.

She said: “I wanted to do something to have Frank remembered in his own city. I did not wait around for the city council to do something. It’s great Ellen, his wife, has agreed to unveil it.”

Mr Connolly said he had spent six weeks working on the project at his studio and foundry in Kilbaha.

“I’m thrilled to have been asked to do it. I worked on images of Frank, given to me by Una,” he said.

According to Frank McCourt’s brother Malachy, who spent many weeks by his brother’s deathbed last July, Frank still had some “unfinished emotional business with Limerick”.

“He was joking that he would have liked to annoy a few people.”