Gardaí probe link between attacks on two statues of Kelly

GARDAÍ are investigating if there is a link between the vandalism of two statues of singer and folk musician Luke Kelly on opposite sides of Dublin city on Tuesday night.

The statue at Guild Street, in the heart of Dublin’s Docklands where Kelly was born and reared, was vandalised for the sixth time, while the bronze figure of Luke playing the banjo at South King Street near St Stephen’s Green on the southside was attacked for the first time.

“In both incidents white

The Luke Kelly statue on Guild Street has been vandalised on six occasions

Lord Mayor Christy Burke has now called for a 24-hour community guard on the statue at Guild Street, beside the Convention Centre, which was unveiled in January last year.

“I’ll join the patrol myself, but some action has to be taken until a more long-term solution is found,” he told the Irish Independent.

“These attacks are not just an attack on Luke and his memory, but an attack on art and the citizens of Ireland.”

The statue of the famous Dubliners singer is situated beside the Royal Canal near his former Sheriff Street home.

It has been repeatedly daubed with paint and was last attacked on June 1, leading to fresh criticism from local representatives who have called it a crime against the community.

During the last incident, the culprits painted red glasses on Kelly’s face and wrote ‘F*** you Luke’ on the plinth.

In previous attacks, black paint has been used by the vandals.

The statue was first attacked in June last year, and it was targeted again in January, March and April this year.

There have been calls to move the statue entirely to a new location, but Sheriff Street residents are set to resist the idea.

Local shop owner and residents’ association spokesman Mark Fay has said it should stay where it is.

“If the statue of his head was put on a taller plinth and surrounded with railings and lit up at night, it would make it more difficult to vandalise,” he suggested.

“It might not make it impossible to vandalise, but the way it is positioned now makes it just too easy for an opportunist.”

paint was thrown over the statues and we are examining if the two acts of vandalism could be linked,” gardaí confirmed. “The Guild street incident was reported at 11.55pm, and the one on King Street South was reported at 8.55am yesterday. No arrests have been made in either incident and the investigation is ongoing,” said a Garda spokesman. A motive for the attacks is not known, and it is not yet known why the marble bust with metal hair at Guild Street has come under sustained targeting by vandals. Local councillor and former