Historic fountain moved to park
AN historic fountain – which was badly damaged when struck by two cars – has been repaired and relocated from Irishtown to Pearse Park in New Ross.
The Daubney Fountain, which features an ornamental harp, was first erected in New Ross in 1886. It was donated to the town of New Ross by Mrs Eleanor Daubney of London as she wanted to prepetuate the memory of her late father General Clayton Brown and his wife Henrietta.
Mrs Daubney presented the fountain to the Commissioner of New Ross in the town where her deceased late father had been very well known.
The commissioners accepted it and thanked Mrs Daubney for the gift. Along with the fountain, Mrs Daubney sent a number of copies of St John’s Gospel. Some of these were retained by residents of the town and around 60 were returned to Mrs Daubney with a ‘curt’ note from the chairman of the commissioners.
At the following meeting of the board the chairman’s action and note was condemned. A decision was made for a text of scripture to be inscribed on the base of the fountain.
Members of the town’s Catholic community charged Mrs Daubney with sending over ‘poisonous stuff in the shape of Protestant tracts’, and denounced five of the Catholic commissioners, saying they were guilty of religious profligacy. It was ordered that the text from St John ‘If any man thirst let him come into me and drink’, should be erased and a statue of the Virgin Mary should take the place of the harp.
Myles Courtney of New Ross Street Focus group said: ‘We are delighted to see the reappearance of the Daubeney Fountain in the more secure environs of the Town Park/Pearse Park after its traumatic experiences. Congratulations to all involved in restoring it to its present condition and let’s hope its new beginning will be less controversial than in 1886.’