A seven-foot, four-inch bronze sculpture commemorating the legendary Irish pirate queen, Grace O'Malley, who ruled the seas of the western seaboard unchallenged 400 years ago, was unveiled yesterday in the grounds of Westport House, Co Mayo.
Sculptor Michael Cooper, who was commissioned by Lord Altamont, proprietor of Westport House, to create the work, said that it had been a fascinating and challenging task to render the heroine in stone and bronze, as there was no visual image of her to refer to.
Lord Altamont said: "I had the idea that a memorial tribute to this legendary woman was way overdue and I decided to do something about it. Now the statue of Grace O'Malley will look down towards the water and ground where she herself would have walked, near one of her castles, almost 400 years ago."
Performing the unveiling, Dr T.K. Whitaker, former governor of the Central Bank, commented: "I am conscious of the wrath of this formidable lady I am undressing, whose unblessed hand - lamh gan coisreacan, as she said - could direct a devastating volley against marauding pirates. She was an extraordinary woman, a precursor of the rare but growing category of women achievers, judging where her interests lay and deploying intellect, charm and even force at times to get her there; one hand firmly on the tiller, the other ready to draw her sword, as the sculptor depicts.
"It is particularly appropriate that she be commemorated in this fine setting, within her onetime domain. It is also an act of filial piety, as Lord Altamont is her 13th great-grandson. She would, I believe, take all the change since her day in her commanding stride and, as a stately, mellow grandmother, would be pleased to see this great house and grounds a centre of interest and joy for young and old in present-day Connacht and wider afield."