The sculpture Éire by Jerome Connor is to be cast in bronze by another artist John Behan.
In 1943, the plaster figure of Éire by Jerome Connor lay in a studio crumbling to dust. A young sculptor John Behan became the custodian of the cast of Éire weeping on the stringless harp. After the death of Jerome Connor, John Behan heard that that the late sculptor's plasterworks were to be dumped. He acquired the works and decided to cast them in bronze. John Behan says that given the quality of Jerome Connor's work, he could not ignore the pieces and allow them to decay.
It's most unusual to have one working sculptor promoting the works of another.
The bronze cast was commissioned by Desmond Downes of the Buttercrust Bakery and was presented by him to the city of Dublin to mark the centenary of the bakery.
This episode of 'PM' was broadcast on 29 August 1978. The reporter is Áine O'Connor.
