Kilnamona man Mike McTigue specialises in memorial sculptures.
The work of sculptor Mike McTigue from Kilnamona in County Clare is displayed at an exhibition in Ennis. One of the pieces on show is a portrait in stone of his cousin and namesake who won the World Light Heavyweight Title in Dublin in 1923. Other portraits include Laurel and Hardy.
Laurel and Hardy Portrait in Stone by Sculptor Mike McTigue
The exhibition focuses on the use of native Irish materials including limestone and Wicklow granite.
Mike McTigue says limestone weathers better than granite.
Mike's ambition is to bring about a quiet revolution in our graveyards by beating back the flood of imported South African granite commonly called black marble.
He employs a new sandblasting technique for working on Irish granite. He believes the trend in Irish graveyards is to use native stone and Celtic crosses.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 14 February 1986. The reporter is Michael Walsh.
