Restored Archbishop Leahy statue revealed in Tipperary

There was great joy in Thurles this week when the restored statue of Archbishop Patrick Leahy was revealed in the yard of the Cathedral of the Assumption.

The statue was blessed by Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly at the annual Carol Service in Thurles on Sunday evening and there was a real air of celebration with the high of the music, song and dance, mirroring the delight of the faithful that the statue has been restored to its former glory.

The statue of Archbishop Leahy was erected in the grounds of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Thurles in 1911, and it stood as a welcome to all who entered the gates of the magnificent place of worship, which had been built under his stewardship.

The statue was erected in recognition of his contribution to the overseeing of the building of the Cathedral of the Assumption – he had been Archbishop of Cashel and Emly from 1857 -1875 - and the beautiful sculpture was set against the backdrop of the magnificent Cathedral.

However, in June 2019, much to the horror of the people of Thurles, the current Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Kieran O’Reilly, the local clergy and all who visited the Cathedral, in an act of vandalism, the head of the statue of Archbishop Leahy was removed.

A lengthy Garda investigation was initiated, but the head of the statue was never recovered, and those responsible were never brought to justice.

There was huge disappointment in Thurles over the vandalism of the statue, with many people taking to social media to vent their feelings.

And later, when an appeal was issued by the gardaí for information and help in trying to track the perpetrators, that anger resurfaced as it became evident that the original head was probably lost forever.

There had been many appeals made for its return, but to no avail.

So, Plan B was put into action, and work began in identifying somebody who could help to restore this very important piece of Thurles heritage.

The restoration work has been carried out painstakingly by sculptor Stephen Burke, who had quite a task to match up the original statue with the new head, which has been fashioned as a likeness of the original using photographs and images, as well as portraits of Archbishop Leahy – the general feeling is that he did a wonderful job.