Cobh to honour Sonia O’Sullivan

Cobh Tourism is delighted to lead a project that will see Cobh’s most famous daughter, Sonia O’Sullivan eternally honoured in her home town with a life size bronze statue.

On 30th July 2014 Cobh Tourism and See You in Cobh staged the first fundraising event of the fundraising campaign that needs to raise over €30,000 in the next twelve months. A sell out concert at Cobh Heritage Centre organised by Cobh Tourism and See You In Cobh saw Trad musicians Jenny, Jack and Martin, Aoife Ryan’s Irish Dancers, Darragh McGann, Ukulele group Nogood@Cello and sea shanty group The Molgoggers put on a fantastic show that certainly entertained the capacity audience. The concert raised €1500 and Cobh Credit Union chairman Colman Rasmussen also presented a cheque for €2500 from Cobh’s largest community based business. Contributions from 2 local businesses and Ballymore Cobh Athletic Club have since brought the funds raised so far to just over €5000.

The reasons for honouring Sonia O’Sullivan with a piece of public art can best be summed up if you think of Ireland’s greatest ever athlete as you read this quotation:

Public art expresses community values, enhances our environment and heightens our awareness. Placed in public sites, this art is there for everyone, a form of collective community expression. Public art is a reflection of how we see our place in the world – the artist’s response to our place combined with our own sense of who we are.

Public art is a part of our public history, part of our evolving culture and our collective memory. It reflects and reveals our society and adds meaning to our towns and cities.

(adapted from the website of the Association for Public Art in Philadelphia).

In his speech to launch the fundraising drive, Hendrick Verwey the chairman of Cobh Tourism said: “While this statue won’t directly bring extra tourists to Cobh it is certain that this statue in the centre of our beautiful town will be photographed by thousands of visitors every year and these images shared with their family and friends.

This statue will contribute to Cobh’s sense of place and will tell the story of a world class athlete that is proud to call Cobh “home”.

This statue will convey the immense sense of pride that Cobh people have for this amazing Cobhite, if as we are sure they will, the people of Cobh take ownership of this project.”

€33,000 is not an insignificant sum of money to raise in a short timescale. Following a public procurement process, local sculptor James McLoughlin was selected to create this public artwork and Cobh Tourism is delighted that a significant proportion of this fee will stay in the local economy.

What Cobh Tourism hopes will happen next is that individuals in Cobh and throughout Ireland will contribute to the fund, that businesses in Cobh and the harbour will display their civic pride and contribute to the fund and that groups, clubs, schools and organisations will themselves organise fundraisers. In this way it will be our statue, a happy statue that will remind us of a decade of hope, triumphs, trials and tribulations as we watched Sonia compete on the world stage.

It is intended to unveil this statue on 12th August 2015, the 20th anniversary of Sonia O’Sullivan’s gold medal win in the 5000m in the World Championships in Gothenburg.

Donations can be made directly to the dedicated account, number 17161 in Cobh Credit Union or to the bank account of Cobh Tourism Ltd. IBAN: IE88 AIBK 9340 62107690 45

BIC: AIBKIE2D