Source: http://ift.tt/1apqLpj --- Saturday, December 31, 2016
A proposal to give a giant statue of Queen Victoria, which has been placed in cold storage for almost 40 years, on loan to Australia was strongly opposed by the Minister for Finance, John Bruton. A request from the Lord Mayor of Sydney to obtain the statue of the British monarch for the newly-restored Queen Victoria Building in the city was received by the Irish government in early 1986. However, Mr Bruton instead sought Cabinet support in September 1986 to put the statue on display on a secure site to be chosen by the Office of Public Works. He observed that the courteous response of the Irish ambassador to Australia and the OPW to the request “might have raised Australian expectations”. “The repercussions from such an act would far outweigh any minor adverse publicity that might arise if the Australian request were refused,” Mr Bruton predicted. The 15-foot bronze statue of the monarch by 19th century Irish sculptor, John Hughes, was unveiled in front of Leinster House in February 1908. The statue —nicknamed “the auld bitch” by James Joyce — was initially stored in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham before being moved to the old industrial school in Daingean, Co Offaly in 1980. Cabinet papers released under the 30-year rule show the Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald agreed in principle to give the statue on loan to Sydney. The OPW informed the Department of Finance that it was unaware of any suitable location for the statu ...
from Australia http://ift.tt/2iPm3Yf
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