Sir, – Frank McNally’s Irishman’s Diary about the Fr Mathew statue on O’Connell Street (April 11th) reminds me that at school I was taught a very clever way of remembering the statues in O’Connell Street by reference to water. Nelson’s Pillar was still there at that time, and the statue of Jim Larkin had not yet been erected. This is how the mnemonic goes: Daniel O’Connell is looking into the water; William Smith O’Brien was transported across water; Sir John Gray brought water to Dublin; Horatio Nelson fought all his battles on water; Fr Mathew wants us to drink nothing but water; and Charles Stewart Parnell got into hot water. – Yours, etc,
FELIX M LARKIN,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.
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Sir, – Frank McNally’s Irishman’s Diary gives us an account of the various pieces missing from the statuary on O’Connell Street, including Fr Mathew’s thumb, which he located in the Little Museum of Dublin.
Perhaps he would be kind enough to apply his sleuthing skills to find the blade that formerly graced the sword held by the Winged Victory of Patriotism on the O’Connell Monument. This has been missing for decades. I clearly remember it being present and correct in the 1980s. – Yours, etc,
DAVID POWER,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
