Statues can tell you a lot about the city that erects them - about its attitudes, its history, its famous sons and daughters, albeit sometimes adopted. Look at its statues, I always say, and you look at the heart and soul of a city.
Dublin is blessed by a multitude of monuments, from the abstract to the life-like. Here are some of my favorites you might want to seek out. All are in public spaces and within the city center, so go exploring!
1. The Joyce is Yours
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Dublin's most famous son might be James Joyce - though for him the best thing about his native city was the road out of it. But with his Ulysses and Dubliners he immortalized the city. In exchange Dublin businessmen erected a statue of Joyce right across from the GPO - in a Chaplinesque pose. Dubliners christened the statue "The Prick with the Stick". A less impressive bust of the writer can be found in St. Stephen's Green.
2. Rebellion? Countess me in!
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If Che Guevara is the poster-boy of South American revolution, Countess Constance Markiewicz was the poster-girl for the Easter Rising of 1916. The glamorous socialist socialite is remembered by a bust in St. Stephen's Green and by a statue hidden in Townsend Street. Complete with her spaniel (who is, it seems, regularly fed litter by passing pedestrians).
3. The Liberator's Legions
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There is no chance to miss the O'Connell Monument at the bottom of O'Connell Street, the "Liberator" gazes across the Liffey, most of the time with a seagull perched on his head. But have a closer look at the statues surrounding the monument, a caleidoscope of Irish society, flanked by angels. Some of them have holes ... gunshots suffered during the Easter Rising.
4. Murder Most Foul
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Veronica Guerin was a campaigning journalist who took Dublin crime bosses by the horns - until they had her gunned down in broad daylight. A bust of her graces the Dubh Linn Gardens. Less impressive but more accessible than her gravestone in the Airport Cemetery. For the full (though slightly "enhanced") story see the movie "Veronica Guerin", starring Cate Blanchett.
5. The Uncrowned King Holding Court
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Charles Stuart Parnell was called "the uncrowned king of Ireland" when he led the Irish Parliamentary Party in its fight for Home Rule. His grave in Glasnevin Cemetery is low-key, but his monument at the top of O'Connell Street is one of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' masterpieces. Notice that the alphabetical list of the 32 counties still includes "King's County" and "Queen's County".
6. On the Banks of the Royal Canal
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Brendan Behan was a gifted writer, a sharp wit, a great drinker and a convicted terrorist - fondly remembered for his observation that if he was tried and sentenced to death in absence, the authorities might as well go ahead with the execution in his absence. A fitting memorial to him was erected on the Royal Canal, near Mountjoy Prison ... one of his Dublin addresses.
7. From Setanta to Cuchullain
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When young Setanta accidentally killed off some ferocious guard dogs, he became Cuchullain - literally "Colin's Dog". The story of this mighty Celtic warrior is told by an impressive mural on the Setanta Centre (near Trinity College). But the best-known statue of Cuchullain stands in the GPO - showing him dead, tied to a tree, with the crows starting to pick. A fitting memorial to the last stand of the 1916 rebels.
8. Get Seated
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If heroically dying is not your thing, why not watch a movie in the "Screen" cinema near Trinity College instead? You will be guided to your seat by "Mister Screen" a fully uniformed cinema usher with the necessary hand-torch. The charming caricature in front of the cinema (usually showing more "arty" films) is a Dublin must-see.
9. Spreading Their Wings
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The legendary "Children of Lir" were chosen for the Garden of Remembrance, representing Ireland in its struggle towards freedom. Actually they are portrayed at the moment of losing their freedom (and human form), but this is a minor detail.
10. Music-Hall History
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Everybody sing along - "In Dublin's Fair City, Where Girls are so Pretty ..." having a look at the Molly Malone statue near Trinity College is a must, even though it is of dubious artistic merit. "The Tart with the Cart" could have come straight from music-hall casting. And is obviously wearing a Wonderbra. Cue young male tourists trying to steal a kiss and a fumble ...
11. Wilde at Heart
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Oscar Wilde was a celebrated writer, wit and bon-vivant - until a homosexual scandal led to a stint in prison. Being gay in Ireland was unmentionable and unforgiveable. Today the flamboyant statue of Wilde graces Archbishop Ryan Park in Merrion Square - dubbed "The Fag on the Crag" by Dubliners. Curiously erected next to a public toilet rumored to have been used for countless homosexual trysts ...
12. Victims
© 2007 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.
One of the most impressive monuments in Dublin is the Victims group in Archbishop Ryan Park (Merrion Square) - open to interpretation as to what is actually shown. The monument to all victims of torture certainly makes no easy viewing ...
