`The statcha" is on the move. This might not mean a lot to people outside Cork but, without knowing it, anyone who has walked or driven along St Patrick's Street in the city will have encountered the memorial to Father Mathew, the apostle of temperance.
The statue of the great man has gazed on generations of Corkonians from its perch in the centre of Cork's main street, reminding one and all that he dedicated himself to battling against the demon drink.
It was and will remain a focal point in the city, except that it is about to do so in a slightly different place.
Father Mathew is to be uprooted and moved further down the street, nearer to Winthrop Street, as part of the modernisation and rejuvenation of tired old St Patrick's Street, one of the finest main thoroughfares in the State.
This, of course, has its own ramifications. "The statcha," in Cork parlance, is much more than just a memorial, it has deeper connotations than that. Visitors were told to take their bearings from the statue when catching buses or waiting to be collected.
Sweethearts arranged to meet above, below or across from the statue. If the truth were told, few people, if any, bothered to read the inscription on it but since its erection it has been an unmovable beacon, a sure point of reference.
The renowned sculptor, John Hogan, was first choice to complete the work but he died and John Henry Foley RA then accepted the commission. The statue to Father Mathew was unveiled on October 10th, 1864, having been cast in bronze at Southwark, London.
The following day, the Cork Constitution described in detail how the ceremony was marked by the attendance of huge and joyous crowds, notable for the presence not only of the rich but the poorer classes on whose behalf Father Mathew had toiled for years.
Now St Patrick's Street, and the adjoining Grand Parade are to receive a £7 million facelift under the guidance of the urban designer, Ms Beth Gali.
There will be wider footpaths, paved in granite, better traffic management, a futuristic street lighting scheme and improved landscaping. This area of old Cork is set to become more user-friendly, and more than a century later Father Mathew will still gaze down upon it.