Council accused over sculpture

Galway City Council is investigating the whereabouts of a State-funded piece of sculpture which was commissioned more than 20 years ago from Mayo artist Eddie Delaney.

The stainless steel piece of artwork was created to mark the opening of the city's Quincentenary Bridge over the river Corrib.

Delaney, who has represented Ireland abroad and whose work includes the statue of Wolfe Tone and the Famine memorial at St Stephen's Green, Dublin, and the statue of Thomas Davis on College Green, Dublin, was granted the commission in 1986.

The €10,000 prize-fund was provided by the Department of Environment as part of the State's scheme for providing public art. The finished work was installed at the Quincentenary Bridge and was due to have been illuminated. However, the lighting was never provided and the piece was removed for repair after it was damaged in high winds.

Fine Gael city councillor Padraig Conneely said that it was an "insult" to the artist and an "embarrassment" to Galway that the local authority did not now know where the piece had been stored. He said he had tried to locate it, but it appeared to have "disappeared".

"The council management said some years ago that it was in safe storage and that they were waiting for an appropriate site to re-erect it," he said. "It is disgraceful that something which took such effort should be treated in this way," Mr Conneely said.