Irish Examiner view: Art of catching the tide of public opinion

A striking sculpture of a shantyman is planned for Cobh

The shantyman sculpture is planned to be the main attraction of a new pocket park and rain garden close to the Cobh deepwater quay and the town’s heritage centre.

Public sculpture can sometimes be risky in terms of earning approbation from passers-by who are prepared to acknowledge that they may not know much about art, but definitely know what they like. Or don’t.

There seems little likelihood of dissatisfaction for artistic reasons over the striking statue of a nearly 12ft (3.6m) high shantyman, which is planned to be the main attraction of a new pocket park and rain garden close to the Cobh deepwater quay and the town’s heritage centre. The twice life-size weathered steel structure has been gifted to the people of Cobh by Garry and Anne Wilson, the couple who bought and restored Belvelly Castle, and built by steel fabricator Ray Lonsdale of Durham, England. Mr Lonsdale is renowned for his oversized and often sombre sculptures, many of which are inspired by and installed close to the sea.

The design depicts a shantyman singing ‘The Holy Ground’, a seafarer’s song which is not quite as devout as it first appears. The land in question is said to be the town’s red-light district when Cobh, then Queenstown, was a major port of call for ships crossing the Atlantic. Hence its opening line “Fare thee well my lovely Dinah, a thousand times adieu” and its chorus “Fine girl you are!”

Shanties in the mainstream

Shanties have returned to the mainstream in recent years with the Nathan Evans TikTok hit ‘Wellerman’ and success of the Fisherman’s Friends movies. And it may now be that communal statuary is experiencing its own resurgence.

The new sculpture of Michael Collins with his trusty bike is due to be unveiled on Cork’s Grand Parade in August and the shantyman will be another fine addition to the region’s attractions. 

Indeed, given that its sculptor specialises in nautical themes, there may be other locations around our coast that could benefit from creative tributes. Castletownbere, perhaps, where the fishing fleet is being decimated by a decommissioning programme? Or Dursey Island, where a statue could be designed looking at its watch and waiting for the cable car service which is still to resume more than 12 months after it was suspended for essential repairs.