Of all the great debates about art none is more heated than the one about the sculpture to the Children of Lir on the square in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath.
The piece, by Dolores Nally, has been slyly called "The Quare on the Square" in a local newspaper article and the jury appears to be still out around Pollard.
But this week, local resident and senator, Mr Donie Cassidy, defended the piece, saying those who criticised it "knew nothing of either art or history".
He denied there were any locals who did not like the piece, which was officially unveiled on April 26th in Castlepollard, one of the prettiest towns in Ireland.
However, only a few hours before, a straw poll of more than a dozen people in the town found that only two liked it, two did not know and eight disliked it.
There was a great reluctance to go public on the issue because the £20,000 sculpture was erected by the local tidy towns and development committee, for which there is high local regard.
One woman said she could not see how the sculpture represented the Children of Lir because she could see neither children nor birds in the piece.
Mr Cassidy explained that the sculpture had been put in place so Castlepollard could lay claim to the legend, which is one of the most famous in Irish folklore.
It is the tale of how the three children were turned into swans by their jealous stepmother for 900 years. For 300 of those years, the legend goes, the children cried daily on Lough Derravaragh until they were returned to human form by the sound of a Christian bell.
"The sculpture is part of the ongoing betterment of the village which has now become the capital of north Westmeath and where huge money is being spent by the council and individuals transforming the place," said Mr Cassidy.
"There is no debate about the sculpture. Locals like it and there are many better things to write about than a non-issue like this one."