Factsheet - The Fr. Mathew Statue
Artist:
Date:
Dimension:
Materials:
Commission:
Mary Redmond
1893
Total Height: 660cm
Plinth Width: 310cm
Figure: Marble
Plinth: Limestone
Public Subscription
Sculpted by Mary Redmond, the Father Mathew Statue was unveiled in 1893 following a
public subscription to honour the centenary of his birth.
Born near Cashel, Mathew studied for the priesthood first at Kilkenny and then at Maynooth
where he was ordained in 1814. In 1828 he became the provincial of the Capuchin Order in
Ireland, a position he held for twenty-three years. Mathew is best known as an advocate for
temperance and in 1838 he founded the Cork Total Abstinence Society. He subsequently
embarked on extensive tours through Ireland as well as England, Scotland and America.
The marble figure stands on a two-tier plinth carved from an Irish carboniferous limestone
which is particularly rich in crinoids. The figure is carved from Carrara marble and depicts
Mathew in his simple robes with rosary beads at his roped belt and his hands raised in
blessing, facing south. It is located on the central median opposite the former Carlton
Cinema.