I love a city that erects statues to its writers.
Even though James Joyce did most of his work abroad he casts a long shadow over Dublin. Two monuments to him are pictured here. My original plan was to visit Dublin during the summer of 2020 to attend some of the European Championship matches. Alas the pandemic suffocated that plan which would also have allowed me to have been here on June 16th, a. k. a. Bloomsday.
Here’s a statue to W. B. Yeats in St. Stephen’s Green. This one is even more abstract than the one I found in Sligo.
Big thanks to frequent commenter Pensive Poet who mentioned this statue of Oscar Wilde which I hadn’t even heard about. I think sculptor Danny Osborne absolutely captured the wit and decadence of Wilde in this work. He used different stones to add color to what are usually monochrome commemorations.
I’ve also visited Wilde’s grave in Paris and his tombstone is just as over-the-top, a twenty ton Egyptian Sphinx.
Another big thanks to frequent commenter, Bernie Bell, who mentioned a statue that the locals call the Floozie in the Jacuzzi. She’s a gorgeous personification of the River Liffey which bisects the city, named Anna Livia, after a character in Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Check out this link to see her original installation which I think was much more pleasing.
And finally, the infamous Molly Malone statue, a. k. a. The Tart with the Cart, based on a traditional Irish song. I guess the water’s gotten to me because I was inspired to write this little quatrain:
Molly Malone’s tits are shiny
Tourists rub them for good luck
She sold cockles from the briny
Now that’s a statue I’m down to f
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
Beautiful statues! And beautiful Dublin!
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Indeed it is. Well worth a visit!
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I love it❣️
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A wonderful post!
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Thank you, Michele!
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Cool beans. Love the Oscar Wilde statue. So did you rub Molly’s tits? As to the rest of the quatrain, I’m sure you can do better than cold bronze to keep you warm.
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No, that would just seem rude. I left it for the more drunken tourists.
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I suspect you’ve been on the Guinness again – how v. rude.
I’ve remembered – The Tart With The Cart is also known as the Trollope With The Scallops…and The Floozie In The Jacuzzi is also known as The Hewer In The Sewer – needs to be said with a Dublin accent really.
I agree – the original was much better …
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And…you’re in m’blog again….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16048
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Thanks, Bernie!
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It’s not a statue of him, but it’s to honour him, in his home town….. https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=5751
Orkney’s own George Makay Brown. Here’s his poem about a Poet…
The Poet
Therefore he no more troubled the pool of silence.
But put on mask and cloak,
Strung a guitar
And moved among the folk.
Dancing they cried,
‘Ah, how our sober islands
Are gay again, since this blind lyrical tramp
Invaded the Fair!’
Under the last dead lamp
When all the dancers and masks had gone inside
His cold stare
Returned to its true task, interrogation of silence.
George Mackay Brown
Well – I am a ” frequent commenter”…..
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I’ll have to check out Mr. Brown. Thanks for the tip!
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He shares a chin with James Joyce….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mackay_Brown
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Indeed he does. Impressive.
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Here’s a few pointers….
https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/06/16/george-mackay-brown/
https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/12/14/g-m-b-s-tales-of-nativity/
https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/12/26/the-brig-o-dread/
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Thanks. I’ll check them out.
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You’re becoming a regular feature….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16049
It’s good to have folk to have this kind of exchange with – keeps the little grey cells stirring.
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I’m just doing my thing. You’re the one making me a regular feature on Your blog. Thank you!
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