Madam, - I am concerned about the future of a fine piece of sculpture known as "The Mariner". Made from scrap metal by the acclaimed John Behan, it depicts a sailor with an anchor and stands outside Maritime House on the North Wall, Dublin. About two metres high, its current position is just outside the immediate view of the casual stroller along the quay.
I am a veteran sightseer of Dublin and can commend the walks along the North Wall and South Quay, which have been transformed for the better in recent years. There is much to enjoy along the riverside beginning with Gandon's magnificent Custom House, the haunting famine memorial to those souls who sought refuge overseas from hunger, the metal statue of the longshoreman on the South Quay and the simple grandeur of the tall memorial of cut stone blocks to the memory of Irish seafarers who lost their lives during the second World War. "The Mariner", in my opinion, would fit perfectly into this setting.
The statue is showing signs of corrosion due to the acid condensation of exhausts from the constant traffic to and from ferries and it richly deserves to be spruced up. It would be a tragedy should this sculpture be allowed to continue to deteriorate in partial obscurity and be consequently discarded. - Yours, etc,
L.J. HULME, Castle Road, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim.