Revealed: Major initiative concerning the Maid of Erin statue in Tipperary

Tipperary Town Enhancement Group has announced a major initiative concerning the Maid of Erin statue.

The Enhancement Group has been active with a number of different projects over the last few years including the paint the town scheme, hanging baskets throughout the town and some work on Longford Bridge.

Their latest project is to undertake works on the Maid of Erin statute and the surrounding area.

The Tipperary Tidy Towns group is supporting the project as is the Tipp Town Revitalisation Task Force.

The Enhancement Group held a meeting with Michael Begley of the Task Force and Paul O’Callaghan of the Tidy Towns Group to finalise plans for refurbishment of the statue and of the surrounds.

The statue itself will be cleaned and the surrounding railings will hopefully be removed to allow people to gain access to the statue, to take photographs and to see the surrounding plaques.

The flower beds will also be replaced with a new scheme of planting and seating will be provided along with new signage.

Eilish Fitzgerald of the Enhancement Group says that they want the Maid of Erin statue to be as solemn and as important as she should be.

“It will be about six weeks before we have the final plans to present to the public and then funding has to be applied for. Before the end of this year we hope to have a new Maid of Erin area which will be friendly and welcoming,” said Eilish.

William Kinane also of the Enhancement Group said that they had secured funding with the County Council and the Department under the Streetscape Enhancement Scheme.

“That will involve painting, repairs to buildings and works to improve shopfronts. Today we are re-launching the scheme and we are asking any painting contractors that are registered to get in contact with us to quote for the works. Everyone comments that the paint the town programme gives a great lift to the town and this year we want to focus on the town centre,” said William.

Chair of the Enhancement Group Eamonn Ryan said that they had been working all last year to try and progress plans for the Maid of Erin.

“We have now got it to the stage where plans can be finalised and presented for consideration and I believe that it will be a wonderful job when complete and a perfect tribute to the Manchester Martyrs,” said Eamonn.

The Maid of Erin statue is a freestanding monument, erected in 1907, commemorating the execution of three political activists in 1867.

Relocated to a corner site in 2003 the monument is composed of a carved limestone female figure on a base depicting portraits of three executed men.

Portraits carry the name in Irish of each man.

The Maid of Erin or the Manchester Martyrs Monument was erected to commemorate the deaths of William Philip Allen (born in Tipperary Town), Michael Larkin and William O’Brien.

They had been executed in England for involving themselves in an attempt to rescue a Fenian prisoner, during the course of which a police officer was killed.