In 1992, a sculpture honouring Christopher Columbus' visit to Galway in 1477 was commissioned from Cork artist Mick Wilkins. The sculpture was gifted by Genoa, Columbus's hometown, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's setting sail on the voyage that would result in his landing in North America.[4]
The inscription on the plinth reads:
on these shores
around 1477 the
genoese sailor
cristoforo
colombo
found sure signs
of land beyond
the atlantic
la citta di genova
alla citta de galway
29.vi.1992
In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, a number of monuments were removed or vandalized around the world, this included a number of Christopher Columbus statues in the United States. The monument in Galway was defaced on June 10, with calls to remove the monument.[5][6]
