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‘Wedding Couple’ arrive in Burt
04.03.09
THE unveiling on Sunday
at An Grianan Hotel, Burt of a sculpture by local
artist Maurice Harron revealed a fine new landmark
for the area and indeed Inishowen. The sculpture,
entitled ‘The Wedding Couple’, features a couple on
horseback from some 400 years ago and is located in
the hotel courtyard. The bronze sculpture is already
attracting attention from patrons and passers-by
alike.
Harron is the Derry-born artist famous for a number
of extremely well known sculptures in the North
West, including the iconic ‘Hands Across the Divide’
in Derry, ‘Hiring Fair’ at the Market Square,
Letterkenny as well as the majestic ‘Let The Dance
Begin’ in Strabane, better known as ‘The Tinneys’.
Further afield, he is responsible for another iconic
piece of sculpture, the famous ‘Chieftain’ in the
shadow of the Curlew Mountains in county Roscommon. |
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Speaking at the
unveiling on Sunday, Harron told the Inishowen
Independent that ‘The Wedding Couple’ was inspired
by his interest in local history: “The piece was
conceived as a work to celebrate a wedding. It
depicts a Gaelic couple from the 16th Century on
their wedding day. Records from the time describe
the appearance and custumes of Irish men and women
from that time. It’s interesting that young women
rode side-saddle facing to the right hand side – the
opposite of the practice in England.”
Harron has strong Inishowen connections. As well as
operating from a studio in Burt, both his parents
were Donegal born – his mother, Mary McLaughlin
(Dicks) hailed from Clonmany. Indeed, it was this
local connection which prompted An Grianan owners,
Sean and Pearse Callaghan to contact the Derryman.
“Obviously a large part of the hotel business is
weddings,” says Sean Callaghan. “We wanted something
artistic to tie it all in. It also had to mean
something so when Mauric came back with his original
sketches of “The Wedding Couple’ we fell in love
with it instantly. The bonus is that Maurice is
local too as well as being widely acclaimed.”
(Inishowen Independent) |
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