Anna Livia (monument)
Bronze monument in Dublin, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anna Livia is a bronze monument located in Croppies' Memorial Park in Dublin, Ireland. It was formerly located on O'Connell Street.[1]
Anna Livia Plurabelle | |
Anna Livia in Croppies' Memorial Park | |
 Interactive map of Anna Livia | |
| Location | Croppies Memorial Park opposite the Ashling Hotel, near Heuston station since February 2011 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53.3477°N 6.2903°W |
| Designer | Éamonn O'Doherty |
| Material | Bronze |
| Completion date | 1988 |
| Dedicated to | Michael Smurfit's father, James Joyce's Finnegans Wake |
Background
Designed by the sculptor Éamonn O'Doherty,[2] the monument was commissioned by businessman Michael Smurfit, in memory of his father, for the Dublin Millennium celebrations in 1988.[3] As noted by writer Brian Lynch, the commission was "awarded without consultation or open competition" and took "a mere six months from commissioning to installation".[4] O'Doherty later admitted that "the hurry to build it, led to a lack of refinement in some details of the stonework and the figure, particularly the head".[4]
The monument is a personification of the River Liffey (Abhainn na Life in Irish) which runs through the city. Anna Livia Plurabelle is the name of a character in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake who also embodies the river. In the monument's original location, the river was represented as a young woman sitting on a slope with water flowing past her. Dubliners nicknamed it the "Floozie in the Jacuzzi",[1][5] a nickname that was encouraged by the sculptor.[6]
The monument was removed from its site on O'Connell Street in 2002 to make way for the Spire of Dublin.[4] In late February 2011, partly reworked and refurbished, the statue was relocated to Croppies Memorial Park next to the Liffey, near Heuston station.[5]
Gallery
Anna Livia in its earlier O'Connell Street location
Closeup of Anna Livia
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