Iconic Mallow sculpture set for move to pastures new
‘HORSES AND RIDERS’ SET TO GO BACK ON PUBLIC DISPLAY AT SITE ON APPROACH ROAD TO MALLOW
LOCALS in Mallow will no doubt be pleased to hear that one of the town’s most recognisable landmarks is not about to be put out to pasture.
Speculation surrounding the future Mallow’s iconic ‘Horses and Riders’ sculpture has finally been laid to rest after confirmation that a new location has been found for the piece.
Michael Quane’s famous statue had stood at the heart of the Annabella roundabout for almost two decades prior to its removal last year to facilitate major realignment works to the structure.
At the time Cork County Council senior engineer Jim Moloney said the statue would be cleaned up, restored to its original condition and placed in a new home once the works at the roundabout had been completed.
“It will be staying in Mallow. We are in discussions about where it will eventually go, but it will be at an accessible location,” he pledged.
True to his word Mr Moloney confirmed this week that the statue is to be put on public display at a site on the N20 southern approach road to Mallow.
He said that since it was removed from the roundabout, a number of possible locations for the piece had been proposed and the one chosen was the most suitable for a number of reasons.
One suggestion had been the Town Park, but this was not suitable as it is liable to flooding that may damage the statue. Other locations such as the Racecourse and Mallow Castle were also ruled out as it would mean the statue would not be on public display.
Mr Moloney said the sculpture was initially commissioned through an initiative under which a percentage of a road scheme, in this case the N20 Cork to Mallow Road, was diverted to a public work of art.
“Following consultation between our arts officer, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Mr Quane it was decided to remain faithful to the original intent and keep the statue on public display along the N20 corridor,” said Mr Moloney.
“Since it was first erected ‘Horses and Riders’ has been very much linked with Mallow, not just for locals but also for the many motorists who passed it on a daily basis. The new location will serve to retain that strong association with the town,” he added.
Mr Moloney said that an advantage of the new site would be that, for the first time, the sculpture would also be readily accessible to the public.
“We wanted to find a location that allowed for pedestrian access to the piece so that it can be viewed close up without posing a danger to people or passing motorists,” he said.
“In our view, this is the only location close to Mallow that is suitable.”
Councillors gave the green light to the proposal, with Cllr Gearóid Murphy saying he was delighted to see that the sculpture would be going back on public display in the near future.
“This location has the great advantage of being visible from the N20 approach road as well as being accessible to people on foot who want a closer look at the sculpture,” he said.
“Its location here, at the gateway to Munster will also maintain ‘Horses and Riders’ close association with Mallow at the Crossroads of Munster. I know I speak for many people when I say it will be wonderful to see it back on public display.”