Wexford inventor Nicholas Scallan turns his hand to sculpture.
When a statue was needed at the Church of Christ The King at Our Lady's Island in County Wexford Nicholas (Niko) Scallan stepped up to the job. With no previous sculpting experience, he not only made a statue of Christ The King but also of Our Lady which is now located overlooking the lake at the entrance to the island.
Nicholas (Niko) Scallan
The statues are made from concrete. Niko Scallan firstly made a casing four feet wide and two feet thick. Once cast, he scooped out the shape of the figure with an old spoon. He also used a chisel, a hammer and an old knife to create detail.
Niko Scallan tells 'Newsbeat' that he had no experience in sculpting before this.
I never studied nothing.
He puts his skill down to always changing and adapting to new jobs and says that if you develop your brain that way, then everything will come naturally to you.
This episode of 'Newsbeat’ was broadcast on 19 March 1971.
