What now?

 

As we can see from the history of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown people have always erected monuments, whether for religious, commemorative or aesthetic purposes. They have altered the physical landscape and in the process left clues about their lives. Today the landscape is still being altered, albeit in different ways.

People no longer build dolmens, wedge tombs or standing stones. Many of the monuments are making a statement and are designed and made by sculptors. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown organised the Tír Cualainn Symposium in 1986 to have sculptures designed for the area. There were a total of 9 sculptors selected and they could choose from 19 sites around the area.

 

Dan McCarthy designed a sculpture called 'Cutout People'. It is located in Blackrock Park and is 13 feet high. The design is two and three-dimensional and can be viewed from numerous different angles. Figures stand on a plinth and they have patterns painted on them to represent the shadows from the sun. The design illustrates the effects of cutting profiles of people and the shapes that are produced.

'Red Sails at Sunset' Designed by Bernard Mortell this sculpture is located beside the Martello Tower in Seapoint and measures 9 feet by 12 feet. The design is meant to represent sails changing into waves and back into sails again. There is a small grassy area beside the Martello Tower where the sculpture stands.