Galway County Council has insisted that there has been no comment in over a decade about the statue of Cú Chulainn in Athenry that was slammed by an art expert for having “man boobs” in last week’s Advertiser.
It is understood that the monument is due to be placed on a more prominent plinth in Athenry Community Park this year and was initially unveiled in 2016 as part of commemorations for the 1916 rising.
However last week, art expert Dr Áine Phillips slammed the statue for it’s “stylised smile and what appears to be ‘man boobs’,” and questioned the commisioning process behind the work.
In a possible attempt to milk the story, Galway County Council insisted that Cú Chulainn’s erection had “complied with the rules of procurement,” when it contacted the Advertiser this week.
“It simply depicts the youthful warrior of ancient Irish sagas, Cúchulainn (sic ), who was one of Patrick Pearse’s heroes,” a spokesperson for the local authority said.
It is currently unclear if the “mounds of Ulster” on the “hound of Ulster” are meant to be a depiction of Sétanta before or after his transition to Cú Chulainn.
“It has been on display since 2016 and is also part of the StoryMap of Athenry Heritage Trail and Galway County 1916 Rising Heritage Trail without comment in all these years,” the council added.
Despite the council’s claims that there has never been a comment about the statue, the Advertiser was able to find numerous memes, jokes and remarks about the statue following last week’s report.
