Colfer and Banville bring Dublin statues to life
TWO of Wexford’s most celebrated authors, John Banville and Eoin Colfer, are taking part in a novel new initiative, Talking Statues, which brings 10 of Dublin’s most famous statues to life in a fun and informative way.
John Banville has provided the words ‘spoken’ by the Oscar Wilde statue, in Merrion Square, while Eoin Colfer has penned the words uttered by the statue of the mythic Cúchulainn in the GPO.
Imagine if they could talk and tell us their stories? Well, imagine no more because thanks to the wonders of modern technology you can receive a phone call from Wilde, James Joyce, Cúchulainn and several other figures, both real and imaginary, that have been rendered in bronze and stone.
Talking Statues is a new experience created by Sing London, supported by Fáilte Ireland and Dublin City Council, which brings to life the stories of 10 of the city’s great statues.
The concept couldn’t be simpler. Take your smartphone, swipe on the plaque next to the statue and you will immediately get a call back. Voiced by such well known figures as Brendan Gleeson and Gabriel Byrne, with words penned by outstanding authors like John Banville, Eoin Colfer and Roddy Doyle, it’s a brilliant way to get to know even more about Dublin.
• Oscar Wilde (Written by John Banville, spoken by Andrew Scott):
The great writer was celebrated for his devil-may-care attitude to life and that’s captured in Danny Osborne’s much-loved statue. Oscar reclines on a quartz boulder - sourced in the Wicklow Mountains - and he is flanked by a nude portrayal of his pregnant wife, Constance Lloyd, and a male torso representing Dionysus, the Greek god of drama and wine.
• Cúchulainn (Written by Eoin Colfer, spoken by Peter Coonan):
It is perhaps appropriate that the most glamorous figure of Irish myth and legend is housed in the General Post Office. Few buildings are as mythologised as much as this place that housed the rebel leaders during the 1916 Rising, and it’s a suitably grand public space to show Oliver Sheppard’s 1935 statue, The Death of Cúchulainn,