Locals object to proposed pagan-inspired statue of St Patrick for the Hill of Tara.
Teresa Mannion reports for 'Nationwide' on controversial plans to put a statue of St Patrick in a mini goatskin on the Hill of Tara. Protesters have gathered on the Hill of Tara to express their opposition. Elizabeth Hickey says that "no bishop in the history of Christendom has been dressed in a mini goatskin". They would like a more traditional representation of St Patrick, who is usually portrayed in ceremonial robes. There had been a statue like this on the Hill of Tara, but it had been damaged and was now being replaced.
The artist Annette Hennessy was inspired by the Celtic pagan-druidic culture St Patrick was dealing with to create the proposed statue and her design was chosen over eight other submissions. But Colm Ó Briain, political adviser to the minister for arts, culture and the Gaeltacht, says that it is the local people who will decide whether or not the statue goes on the Hill of Tara.
Three years later, a statue donated by the Sisters of Charity went up on the site.
