New Michael Collins Statue for Cork City
A large crowd assembled in the Council Chamber in City Hall Cork yesterday for the official launch by the Lord Mayor Deirdre Forde of the Michael Collins – Cork City Statue project and fundraising campaign.
The Michael Collins 100 Committee was set up a few months ago to commission a new statue of Michael Collins, raise the funds to finance it and present the piece to Cork City Council for placement at a prominent location in Cork City Centre.
The design of the statue is based on the iconic photograph of Michael Collins with a Pierce bicycle in Wexford in 1922.
The slightly over life size bronze sculpture will portray Michael Collins as โThe Man on The Bikeโ the rebel leader, leading military resistance to British rule and managing the finances of the outlawed Dรกil government.
The Rebel Michael Collins will soon stand again in the rebel City.
On September 12th last, a motion was passed by the members of Cork City Council, asking the Council to facilitate the placing of a statue of Collins in Cork City Centre, the vote in favour of the motion was 22 to 1.
The new Statue is being made by Sculptor Kevin Holland who also created the iconic Clonakilty Michael Collins Statue in 2002.
At the moment The Michael Collins 100 committee is working with officials from Cork City Council to finalize the choosing of a site in the City Centre, details of which will be announced in the next few weeks.
Grandnieces and Grandnephews of Michael Collins were present at the ceremony in City Hall yesterday and a very rare Pierce bicycle identical to the one in the famous photograph of Michael Collins was also on display. The bicycle is part of the Johnstown Castle Museum Collection in County Wexford.
It is planned that the statue will be unveiled in August 2023 close to the 101st Anniversary of Michael Collins death.
The cost of the new Statue and Plinth will be just over โฌ100,000 and the Michael Collins 100 Committee are appealing to admirers of Michael Collins and those interested in Irish History throughout Ireland and all over the World, to contribute to this unique permanent tribute to the greatest of Irish Leaders, Michael Collins.
Contributors to the statue fund if they wish, will be issued with a special Certificate / Receipt and a counterfoil from the receipt, will also be placed in a time capsule underneath the statue.
For those wishing to contribute to the new statue fund, Go Fund Me and IBAN number details are available on the Donate page of the Michael Collins 100 Committee website www.michaelcollinsstatue.com.
Tim Crowley (Chairman of The Michael Collins 100 Committee)
