Evicting a prince for politicians’ parking is not a sign of progress
IT MIGHT amuse Prince Harry and Meghan to have a look at the last statue of a British royal figure still standing in the Republic of Ireland. But hurry, hurry! It could well be demolished before the next visit by a British royal to this country – possibly to make way for more car parking.
The image in question is that of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, erected in 1871, and standing rather discreetly in the grounds of Leinster House on the Merrion Square side. Shrubs and foliage surround it, and strangely, the statue is not actually identified by name: but the allegorical figures of agriculture, the arts, engineering and scientific exploration, to which the prince consort was dedicated, are clearly proclaimed.
There have been grumblings over the years about this alleged monument to British imperialism, and it wasn’t universally popular even when it was first planned – a position in College Green, opposite Trinity College, was rejected, and a unionist proposal that it should be in St Stephen’s Green, with the park renamed ‘Albert Green’, was completely rebuffed.
So the memorial to the German prince – and some Irish nationalists at the time objected to him because he was a German and apparently anti-Polish – eventually found its place among the shrubbery of Leinster House. Now, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, the longest-serving Sinn Féin TD, has called for the removal of the sculpture, by the noted Irish sculptor John Henry Foley, to better accommodate his parking convenience.
“Its presence has no relevance in the grounds of our parliament,” he stated, “dating as it does from a time before the establishment of the Dáil and Seanad.” He would like the space to be cleared to increase TDs’ parking facilities.
Perhaps it has escaped Mr Ó Caoláin’s notice that the very building in which the Dáil and Seanad dwell also dates from before the establishment of the Dáil and Seanad. Considering that Leinster House was put up by the Earl of Kildare in 1745, under British rule, and from 1815 onwards, was in the possession of the Royal Dublin Society – at that time also a hotbed of royalists and unionists – perhaps Mr Ó Caoláin would like to suggest our parliamentarians vacate the British-built edifice itself. Leinster House came into the possession of Irish parliamentarians only in 1922.
But it might be unwise for Mr Ó Caoláin to get into that game, made famous by the hilarious ‘Life of Brian’ movie, of “What did the Romans (British) ever do for us?” He might find the hecklers suggesting “Only the railways”, “The canals”, “Drains and sewerage”, “Common law”, “Georgian Dublin”, “The post office system and letterboxes” and, indeed, “The very language in which you speak”.
The history of any country is a mixed kaleidoscope of different threads. It’s seldom black and white and nearly always full of nuances and even contradictions. And statues, erected in a different time when perspectives and priorities were different, can illuminate that fact, and – especially with the demotion of history being taught in schools – can provide access to historical themes and characters.
Albert – Harry’s great-great-great grandfather – may not be particularly relevant to Ireland today, but he was a patron of the revival of the Irish language, interested in Celtic languages generally, and, as the statue indicates, keen on progressive reform of agriculture, industry, the sciences, engineering and the arts.
He also admired, as did Victoria, the Irishman whose statue is just a stone’s throw – or a wrecking ball’s reach – away, at the front of the National Gallery – William Dargan, the railway engineer whose self-made fortune launched the National Gallery.
There are statues all over Dublin – and elsewhere in the country – which may have little relevance to our lives today. Sometimes it’s appropriate to move them from the position they occupy. It was right to remove, in 1948, the rather ugly statue of Queen Victoria placed on the Kildare Street side of Leinster House (the Australians took it). Perhaps Admiral Nelson should have been removed from atop Nelson’s Pillar and replaced with a more ‘relevant’ figure – St Patrick had been a popular suggestion – although it was a pity to blow up a fine Corinthian column.
These statues were in prominent places. Albert’s statue is so discreet that you have to look to find it, but it has survived as a remnant of history, and an illumination of some of the complexities of the historical record. John Henry Foley was also an accomplished sculptor.
However, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin might find some support from the ‘Nope to the Pope’ lobby.
The strongly Lutheran Albert deplored the Pope and the papacy, thought Irish Catholics “superstitious” and believed that the Famine would put paid to “the power of the priests”.
Maybe the ‘Nope to the Popers’ will back Mr Ó Caoláin in his parking plans.
Albert’s statue is so discreet you have to look to find it, but it is an illumination of the complexities of the historical record