Two Collins tributes due to be unveiled

THE unveiling of a statue of Michael Collins on the Grand Parade in Cork city will take place late this summer, according to the committee behind the erection of the statue.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Tim Crowley of the Michael Collins 100 committee, said that various parts of the statue, including the head and body, sculpted by Kevin Holland have been sent to Germany for casting.

‘They will come back in bronze and a company in Macroom will then assemble the statue. Kevin has also started work on Michael Collins’ bike which will be made of stainless steel and will then get a coating of bronze,’ said Tim. ‘Clonakilty sign artist Tomás Tuipéar is working on a great design for the inscribed stone, which will be set into the pavement around the statue on the Grand Parade.’

They recently brought one of the model heads of the new statue to Woodfield and it was placed alongside the Francis Doyle Jones bust.

The over-life size bronze statue of ‘The Big Fella’ will be erected in almost the same spot he delivered a famous speech to over 50,000 people on the Grand Parade over 100 years ago. The committee only realised the coincidence while researching where he delivered a speech to the pro-Treaty rally on March 12th, 1922.

The Michael Collins 100 committee are commissioning the 7ft statue and getting it made through fundraising, while Cork City Council will install it and put paving around it. The committee are also providing an obelisk where four granite plaques will be erected telling the story of the statue.

‘Time is running out now for people to contribute to the statue fund and to receive the special certificate and getting their name into the time capsule which will be placed underneath the statue,’ said Tim.

For more details on how to contribute see www.michaelcollinsstatue.com.

Meanwhile, a plaque will be unveiled in London on Friday July 14th honouring Collins, who spent almost a third of his life in London. It will be located at Barnsbury Hall in the London Borough of Islington, where Collins was sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) in 1909 by fellow West Corkman Sam Maguire. 

Barnsbury Hall is part of Islington’s Irish Trail, which honours the history of the Irish community  in the area. 

The ceremony takes place at Barnsbury Hall from 1pm-3pm and will be attended by members of the Terence MacSwiney Committee (London), while invites have been sent to members of the Collins family, the Irish ambassador, and community leaders. On the evening of the ceremony there will be a cultural event in the Irish Centre in Camden, with music, dance, and stories.