John Bruton involved in controversial move of Queen Victoria statue

A proposal to give a giant statue of Queen Victoria, which has been placed in cold storage for almost 40 years, on loan to Australia was strongly opposed by the Minister for Finance, John Bruton.

A request from the Lord Mayor of Sydney to obtain the statue of the British monarch for the newly-restored Queen Victoria Building in the city was received by the Irish government in early 1986.

However, Mr Bruton instead sought Cabinet support in September 1986 to put the statue on display on a secure site to be chosen by the Office of Public Works.