Town centre statue of historic figure was vandalised
It will have to be removed to be repaired
The statue of John Devoy at Poplar Square in Naas will have to be taken down and sent away to be repaired after it was damaged.
Kildare County Council official Eoghan Ryan said the gardaí had been contacted and they will address the issues with the person allegedly responsible, described as someone “with issues.”
Mr Ryan confirmed that the bill for repairing the structure will come to €10,000.
He described the incident as a delicate matter that needs to be treated with sensitivity.
The five feet six inches tall depiction of Devoy, a native of Greenhills, near Johnstown, was put up about eight years ago.
A Naas Municipal District meeting was also told that expert advice has been sought by KCC about the repair work.
Cllr Anne Breen raised the issue and said it appeared that serious damage had been caused to the surface of the statue.
Devoy was born in Greenhills, between Johnstown and Kill in 1842 and he was Fenian organiser in Naas, having served with the French Foreign Legion in Algeria.
He was jailed for treason for a time and went to the US in 1871 .
He was described as the greatest of the Fenians by Padraig Pearse and is remembered by a monument - erected in the mid-1960s and now situated on the link road between Johnstown and Kill. He died in 1928 at the age of 86 and was buried in Glasnevin.