It is a symbol of Dublin. The Molly Malone statue in Ireland’s capital was vandalized twice in August. Paint attacks were carried out, provoking indignation among Dubliners. A vast operation to clean and restore the sculpture is currently underway.
No such luck for the famous Molly Malone. His statue, on Suffolk Street in Dublin, was vandalized twice in the space of a week. The first attack was with black paint. The statue’s bust had been badly smeared, necessitating an extensive cleaning operation.
But on Tuesday, new graffiti was spotted on the statue. This time, the paint is neon green, with the messages “7 years bad luck” and “Good Luck”.
Dublin City Council was quick to describe the act as “senseless vandalism”.
Poor aul Molly got some TLC this morning after the senseless vandalism that occurred on her recently. Thanks Eoghan for her Glow Up! #Dublin #MollyMalone pic.twitter.com/fadYuzQTxz
— Dublin City Council (@DubCityCouncil) August 23, 2023
As a reminder, the Molly Malone statue is one of the city’s landmarks. Every year, the monument attracts thousands of visitors who come to admire this character from Irish popular culture (and from whom a song was born).
Taking the form of a mussel merchant pushing a wheelbarrow, this fictional character is one of the symbols dear to Dubliners. The thousands of selfies taken with the statue by tourists have been countless.
In view of the damage, Dublin City Council was keen to reassure the public, publishing images of the statue being cleaned. The question of protecting the statue was raised, but the Council declined to put up barriers to dissuade people from approaching it.
Nevertheless, the town intends to remain vigilant and strongly condemns any act of vandalism against its tourist and cultural heritage. Sensitive locations will no doubt be closely monitored by the authorities…
More news
