AN ARTIST who designed and sculpted a range of public monuments has died.
Michael Kenny, from Castleisland, Co Kerry, was laid to rest yesterday following his death at Kerry General Hospital at the weekend. He was 55 and had been ill for a number of weeks.
In 2008 he completed a life-sized statue of composer Seán Ó Riada in the grounds of St Gobnait’s Church in the west Cork Gaeltacht area of Cúl Aodha.
Kenny was also commissioned to design a statue in memory of the Sliabh Luachra musician Johnny O’Leary, from Rathmore, Co Kerry, which is a much photographed town centre feature in Killarney, Co Kerry.
Another of his creations was a tribute to the renowned musician and Irish music teacher Pádraig O’Keeffe, which has stood in the village square of Scartaglen, Co Kerry, since 1983.
Kenny, a graduate of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, cited Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi and Kerry native Jerome Connor as his heroes and inspiration.
The work on the Seán Ó Riada project in Cúl Aodha brought Kenny to the “pinnacle of his career”, the artist’s close friend, John Reidy, said.
“With it, he truly earned the admiration and respect of his peers.
“He proved his ability, both as an artist and a creator and planner of monumental works, in every sense of the term,” said Mr Reidy, a Kerry-based photographer.
Kenny is survived by his brother Dan and sisters Eileen and Betty.
He was buried in St John’s Cemetery after funeral Mass in the Church of St Stephen and John, Castleisland.