Kilkenny makes Carey larger than life for the sake of art

There's no doubting the virility of Kilkenny men, if sculptor Patrick O'Reilly is to be believed. According to him, his latest creation - a mammoth fibre glass model of the Kilkenny hurler D.J. Carey - is "nothing but fact" in its depiction of the county's menfolk.

Muscles everywhere.

"You'll find Kilkenny men are very well equipped in all departments," O'Reilly emphasised yesterday, at a preview of the statue in Dublin.

The hurler was unable to attend yesterday's preview, held at the artist's studio in Sandy mount. "I'm looking forward to seeing it," D.J. said on the phone from his car, declaring himself "delighted and flattered with the tribute".

The 20-foot statue will be one of the attractions at this year's Kilkenny Arts Festival. Constructed of fibreglass over a copper-wire frame, it will be the focal point of a parade in the city on Saturday, August 21st.

In all his black and amber glory, he will be paraded through the town with hundreds of hurlers from across the county and from neighbouring Tipperary.

In a county where hurling is regarded as a "majestic" and "operatic" art form, taking the game as the theme of the parade seemed an obvious choice.

Mr Paul Fahy, parade director, said the original intention was to commission a statue of a dead hurling hero, but in the interests of the county's younger hurling fans it was decided that D.J. would be a preferable subject.

What happens to the giant D.J. after the parade is not yet known. Mr Fahy agreed that the new GAA museum in Croke Park might prove a suitable resting place.

D.J. made his first major impact on the national field in 1988 when he won the All-Ireland Colleges title with St Kieran's of Kilkenny. He won his first Leinster title in 1991 and his first All-Ireland All Star title in the same year. The first All-Ireland medal came in 1992 and another in 1993. His career has sparkled since then and, despite a brief retirement last year, he is said to be fitter then ever for the semi-final clash against Clare on August 15th.

Looking forward to the game, he said he would be drawing on every bit of the renowned Kilkenny brawn over the next few weeks. "After Clare won so well on Monday, we'll be going into the match the underdogs. They're a very good team," he said. As one of Kilkenny's wing forwards, he will be pitting himself against Clare backs who have been criticised in the past. "They're going very well at the moment," he said, "so, yeah, you could say we'll need every bit of strength we have."