The writer Con Houlihan - "the most busted man in Ireland" - yesterday had a fourth bust unveiled in his honour, this time in his native town Castleisland, Co Kerry. Anne Lucey reports.
The traffic through the main street, on the N21 main Dublin to Kerry road, was brought to a halt for half-an-hour as Con, with the aid of crutches and flanked by former rugby greats Moss Keane, Donal Lenihan, Mick Doyle and Mick Galwey, crossed the street to look sideways at an image of himself in the area he once dubbed "the Latin quarter" of his home town.
He has had four operations on his left leg, a legacy of rugby injuries. Recently he said one of the greatest honours anyone could bestow on him would be to be made a free man of his native Castleisland.
"That way you could drink free in every pub in Castleisland at least once a year," he explained yesterday.
"Knocknagoshel is my home village, Castleisland my home town, Paris my home city with London a good close second," Con said in the River Island hotel. Dublin was "only villages tied together" and great cities had to have the ability "to surprise you". There are already three statues and busts to Con Houlihan in Dublin - at the Dropping Well, The Bank, in Dame Street, and the Palace Bar.
They were "naturally in pubs, not in chapels", he remarked.
Jointly unveiling the statue was Mr Jimmy Deenihan, the Fine Gael TD for Kerry North, and a former Kerry football captain, and Castleisland native and former Ireland and Munster captain Mick Galwey.
Con Houlihan was the most busted man in Ireland, Mr Deenihan remarked, but it was very necessary there should be one in his beloved Castleisland.
The bronze bust, by the sculptor Mr Hugh Hanratty and with an inscription and stone work by Mr James O'Reilly, was to Con Houlihan "Fisherman, Turf-cutter, Rugby Player and Teacher." The word "lover" had been left out at Con's insistence, Mr Deenihan added. An hour-long documentary on Mr Houlihan's life was premiered yesterday after the unveiling. Called Waiting for Con, by Imagine Ltd for RTÉ, the documentary is based on autobiographical extracts gleaned from Con's writings. It will be screened on RTÉ One on Tuesday at 10.15 p.m.