UNVEILING THE TWO STATUES OF LUKE
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Two statues of Luke Kelly were unveiled on either side of the Liffey in Dublin on January 30th by President Michael D Higgins, in the presence of Nial Ring Lord Mayor of Dublin.
At 2pm on January 30th John Coll’s life-size bronze sculpture of a seated Luke Kelly singing and playing banjo was unveiled on South King Street Vera Klute’s 2 metre high marble portrait of Luke Kelly was unveiled at 3.30pm on Royal Canal, Guild Street / Sheriff Street. |
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Not one but two Luke Kelly statue will be erected in Dublin
Dublin City Council’s held an open competition in 2014 for a statue of Luke Kelly which was spearheaded by then Lord Mayor Christy Burke. Artist Vera Klute was commissioned by the City Council to design the monument.
A second statue was later offered as a donation by private individual Gerry Hunt who had personally commissioned a statue of Luke Kelly by artist John Coll. This statue is of the musician seated and playing the banjo.
John Coll is one of Ireland's most prominent figurative sculptors. He has sculpted many works of national importance including monuments to the poet Patrick Kavanagh and the writer Brendan Behan on the Dublin canals.
Dublin is set to honour legendary Dubliners singer Luke Kelly with not one but two statues, one on each side of the city. An exception was made by the city council to have two statues after the Kelly family expressed their unhappiness with an original modern design commissioned by the Council.
The Vera Klute bust of the Dubliners singer will be unveiled on Guild Street in the North Inner City on January 30th. President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, who was bridesmaid at Luke's wedding, are to be invited to the official unveiling.
The final location of the John Coll statue has yet to be decided there has been suggestions of St Stephens Green or Raglan Road but until then we will have the unveiling of the bust at the end of January.
John Coll's statue of Luke Kelly
LUKE KELLY DUBLINER (1940 - 1984).
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Luke Kelly was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin in Ireland, he was a founding member of the band The Dubliners.
It is time that the city of Dublin celebrated the memory of Luke by placing a statue in an appropriate part of his beloved Town. Join the campaign to make this a reality in 2014, 30 years after Luke's passing. This favorite son of Dublin has not been forgotten by the people. |
The Legend Of Luke Kelly 30th Anniversary Concert at
Vicar Street on the 30th January 2014.
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And so the Legend lives on!
On 30th January 1984 it is said that the Whole of Dublin grieved the early death of Luke Kelly. He has left an indelible mark as being the greatest folk artist of the 20th Century. Chris Kavanagh bears a remarkable resemblance to Luke while his singing talents capture the depth and passion of the great man. He was joined on stage by accomplished musicians who all consider it an honour to bring Luke’s memory to the stage in the ultimate tribute to the King of balladeers. |
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Chris Kavanagh sings the Town I Loved so well at the Luke Kelly Tribute night on Friday 31 Jan 2014 (VT filmed by Peter O'Doherty)
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It is now 30 years since Luke's passing it would be great to honour his memory with a Statue of a great son of this old Town. Have your say and take the poll "Should Dublin have a statue to honour Luke Kelly?"
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Luke was one of the original members of the Dubliners. Born into a working class family in Sheriff Street in Dublin, his grandmother was a McDonald from Scotland, lived with the family until her death in 1953. His father worked all his life in Jacobs biscuit factory and enjoyed playing soccer. Both Luke and his brother Paddy played club GAA football and soccer as kids. In 1953 the Corporation moved the family to Whitehall, then a north city suburb.
Luke worked at a variety of jobs in England during his early life, including hotel cellerman, vacuum cleaner salesman, and window cleaner. He spent some time as a travelling folk singer in Paris before he returned to Dublin in 1962, when the Dubliners were formed following a John Molloy show in the Gate Theatre.
On June 30, 1980, during a concert in the Cork Opera House Luke Kelly collapsed on stage. He was rushed to hospital and a brain tumour was diagnosed. Following a lengthy operation there was every hope of a full recovery. He performed again with the group but became ill on a tour of Switzerland and had to pull out. Luke died in hospital on January 30, 1984. Luke Kelly remains an Irish icon and his music is widely regarded as one of Ireland's cultural treasures. The passing of Luke Kelly has left a void, but his memory will never be forgotten his music lives today and will live on in the future.
Luke worked at a variety of jobs in England during his early life, including hotel cellerman, vacuum cleaner salesman, and window cleaner. He spent some time as a travelling folk singer in Paris before he returned to Dublin in 1962, when the Dubliners were formed following a John Molloy show in the Gate Theatre.
On June 30, 1980, during a concert in the Cork Opera House Luke Kelly collapsed on stage. He was rushed to hospital and a brain tumour was diagnosed. Following a lengthy operation there was every hope of a full recovery. He performed again with the group but became ill on a tour of Switzerland and had to pull out. Luke died in hospital on January 30, 1984. Luke Kelly remains an Irish icon and his music is widely regarded as one of Ireland's cultural treasures. The passing of Luke Kelly has left a void, but his memory will never be forgotten his music lives today and will live on in the future.
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SONNET FOR LUKE
A fiery halo crowns your lived-in face, You shine forth like a beacon from the throng, Among your fellow peers you set the pace, And soar above the crowd on wings of song. Committed to the cause of human rights, You hold aloft the flame of Amnesty, When striking workers seek you in their plight, You rally with your songs unstintingly. A minstrel boy, you charm your way through life, Enriching all who chance to pass your way, You shelter wayward spirits from the night, And raise them up on wings till dawn of day. Though links with us alas too soon are severed, Your spirit and your song will soar unfettered. John Sheahan |
On Raglan Road
On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue; I saw the danger, yet I walked along the enchanted way, And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day. On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge Of the deep ravine where can be seen the worth of passion's pledge, The Queen of Hearts still making tarts and I not making hay - O I loved too much and by such and such is happiness thrown away. I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret sign that's known To the artists who have known the true gods of sound and stone And word and tint. I did not stint for I gave her poems to say. With her own name there and her own dark hair like clouds over fields of May On a quiet street where old ghosts meet I see her walking now Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow That I had wooed not as I should a creature made of clay - When the angel woos the clay he'd lose his wings at the dawn of day. Patrick Kavanagh |
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Luke Kelly Obituaries in the Newsapers
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The Dublin Minstrel
Lyrics
From Dublin streets and roads and down the years
Came great musicians and balladeers
There was a special one, a red haired minstrel boy
And when he passed away, a city mourned its favorite son
Chorus:
All around the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow you know, we'll never see your likes again
He liked to laugh and sing; he loved a jar
And his songs rang out in many city bars.
I walk by the old canal near which he used to live,
Down Raglan Road I'm sad, as he'd so much left to give
All around the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow you know, we'll never see your likes again
The show is over, the curtain's down
A flame no longer burns in Dublin Town
While the Liffey flows beneath the Ha'penny Bridge
You'll be remembered Luke for all your songs and all you did
All around the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow you know, we'll never see your likes again
Lyrics
From Dublin streets and roads and down the years
Came great musicians and balladeers
There was a special one, a red haired minstrel boy
And when he passed away, a city mourned its favorite son
Chorus:
All around the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow you know, we'll never see your likes again
He liked to laugh and sing; he loved a jar
And his songs rang out in many city bars.
I walk by the old canal near which he used to live,
Down Raglan Road I'm sad, as he'd so much left to give
All around the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow you know, we'll never see your likes again
The show is over, the curtain's down
A flame no longer burns in Dublin Town
While the Liffey flows beneath the Ha'penny Bridge
You'll be remembered Luke for all your songs and all you did
All around the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow you know, we'll never see your likes again