Lawrencetown - Dairmaid and Gráinne

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Public Art in Lawrencetown

Diarmaid and Gráinne

Name of Artist: Pádraic Reaney

Materials Used: Cast Bronze and Limestone          

Artist Statement:

From the day of the site visit I was taken by the site.  The peace and serenity of this small green space with its overhanging trees captured my imagination.  We were told that there was a Leaba Diarmaid agus Gráinne (Diarmaid and Gráinne's bed) in the area.

I could easily visualise Diarmaid and Gráinne, hiding in the forest, fleeing from Finn.  
They have travelled a great distance on foot.  It's late.  Gráinne is exhausted and they desperately need a safe place to sleep.  They pause for a moment here under the sheltering branches of this protecting tree.  I was very conscious of the positioning of the piece: that the tree would be incorporated in the overall design and the mood of the sculpture.

The reason I chose this subject was the connection of Diarmaid and Gráinne to the area.   For many years I have worked on the story of the Táin Bó Cuailgne and other Irish tales and therefore this was an extension of my previous work.