Famine Memorial

This part of our trip was one greatly looked forward to. I had seen pictures online but pictures honestly not do it justice. To see these statues in person is haunting and almost gave me goosebumps. Be sure to visit the ship a little further down to fully understand everything.

I think that this is possibly the best piece of artistic material on public display in Dublin. It’s stunning and depicts perfectly a piece of Irish history that should never be allowed to sink into the past. Not the most cheery piece of sculpting admittedly but it sticks with you.
I always make sure to tell tourists to check it out just because it sits so well into it’s spot you may be forgiven for apologising if you bump into the figures.
Plus it’s now down by our brand spanking new convention centre so we can be assured that it will be getting more exposure for what it is, a beautiful reminder of a time when Ireland wasn’t what it is today.

There is something so strikingly powerful about this piece of work. Its subject was for so long something that as a country we had a hard time getting over both socially and politically. The gaunt lifeless figures here perhaps reflect hopelessness in society around the time of the famine. The scale of the work, spread out over a large space and seeming to pop up out of nowhere really has a huge impact on those who encounter it. People walk through it and around it. its impossible to avoid its power as a piece of art and as a memorial.

I came across the Famine memorial completely by accident and was taken aback by how I’d managed to spend 2 and a half years in Dublin without noticing this striking work. I really love this piece of art because although it is very distinct, it manages to blend itself seemlessly into the city. It’s a pretty sad piece, but a timely reminder of a very dark time in Irish history.
So maybe don’t go visit it if you want to haver a super happy sunshine day of fun.

I stumbled upon the Famine Memorial one day as I was walking my boyfriend to work. It’s location, amongst the shiny new business center, and out of the main tourist area of Dublin is a bit strange. But amongst all the hustle and bustle it still managed to stop us in our tracks. Wow. It is deeply moving.
Startling and beautifully rendered, the memorial is a haunting reminder of Ireland’s past. Artist Rowan Gillespie did an amazing job capturing the harrowing experience of millions of people with only a few figures.

A very moving memorial to the victims of of Ireland’s great famine, which decimated the country’s population and led to mass emigration in the 1840s.
One cannot begin to imagine what it would have been like to be living in Ireland during the Great Famine… our ancestors must have been very resilient indeed.
A haunting reminder of one of the greatest trials the Irish people have faced.

Gaunt, spindly figures making their way towards Dublin port. Their faces are a picture of horror and loss. Are they carrying living children on their backs or clinging to tiny corpses? This memorial to the Irish Famine wordlessly expresses the unimaginable desperation of its victims as they attempt to reach the Famine Ships, also known as Coffin Ships, headed for Britain or America. Do they reach port, do they last the journey? Millions did not.
The famine or Great Hunger reduced the Irish population by 2.5 million. A whole country starved and experienced horrors we can’t imagine. These horrors are still a reality in many countries today, think of this as you look into the dying eyes of the Famine Memorial figures on Custom House Quay.

I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of public artwork (most of it is of the modern, or shite, variety), but the Rowan Gillespie’s Famine memorial on Custom House Quay is absolutely harrowing. It’s location is not one which visitors to the city would necessarily be visiting, but if you were returning to town from the O2 you cannot have helped but have seen it.
The monument depicts a group of starving people, some with dead or dying infants in their arms, walking in the direction of Dublin Port and their only hope of salvation, a boat to America. A dog trails the group, one possible implication being that he will eat the bodies of the dead.
What’s most effective about this monument is the naturalistic poses of the subjects. The first time I saw them when driving in the direction of town, I did a double take, as I wasn’t sure if what I had seen was animate people or what.
A moving, harrowing tribute to the people that died, and a must see for those visiting Dublin, but more importantly, for all Irish people.
Glóire dé ar a anam.