A monument in Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green has been vandalized with red paint, just a few weeks after its installation. The act sent shockwaves through the population, as Ireland had just commemorated with other countries the centenary of the 14/18 war.
Entitled “The Hauntings Soldier”, this 6-metre-high iron sculpture depicts a First World War soldier, made up of cogs and mechanisms. It was designed by Slovak artist Martin Galbavy and built by Chris Hannam at Dorset Forge & Fabrication in 2017. A true tribute to the courage of the 210,000 Irish soldiers of the time! The statue had just been unveiled in the Dublin park on November 3, 2018, and was due to be removed on November 26, while it was on display.
According to the police, the monument was attacked around 2 a.m. on Wednesday night. Red bombs disfigured the sculpture.
Measures were deployed by local police, forest rangers and Public Works Bureau staff to quickly clear the monument.
“OPW staff are in the process of removing the red paint from the haunted soldier that was vandalized overnight and this should be completed shortly.” The statue will remain on display in St. Moritz. St. Stephen’s Green Park until Sunday evening, November 26, before returning to the UK.”
The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, expressed her “disappointment” at the act of vandalism:
“There’s no bravery in throwing paint on a statue in the middle of the night. This installation pays tribute to all those who died in the terrible suffering of the First World War. It is incredibly moving and has proved immensely popular.”
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