Male historical figures have got the pedestal positions carved up

We might consider placing that greatly under-rated force in Irish theatre, Lady Gregory. on a plinth in Dublin, writes Terry Prone.

SOMEONE has complained about Prince Albert hanging around the grounds of Leinster House. They complained to the Petitions Committee, of which I’d never heard, but which is, no doubt, of constant relevance to the citizens of this great little country.

Relevant the Petitions Committee may be, but they were no use to the member of the public who wanted rid of Prince Al on the basis that he represented, in bronze, British colonialism in Ireland. Same as statues of Robert E Lee in the southern states of America represent a slave culture and economy. The committee didn’t seem to have a moral view on Prince Al. They just said he’d been there a long time. (Implication: He’s kind of faded into the surrounding vegetation, so don’t be getting your patriotic knickers knotted about him.) They also said he was sculpted by a great sculptor. (So were a whole rake of statues that bit the dust when their moral relevance ran out of rope.)