Celebrating the vision and pride of place in the Glen of Aherlow

The vision of people that were incredibly proud of their community is being celebrated in the Glen of Aherlow to mark the 70th anniversary of the erection of the iconic Christ the King statue.

The landmark stands proud and has - along with the Galtee mountains - become synonymous with the Glen of Aherlow and the development and promotion of the area as a place of unique beauty.
“Christ the King is our iconic feature, no visit to the Glen and Tipperary is complete without a visit to the viewing point. Looking back we can see how visionary the committee of 1950 were in choosing this location, would they ever have considered how important it would become for tourism in Tipperary 70 years later and how many photographs have been taken of the statue and the wonderful view of the Glen of Aherlow valley and Galtee mountains,” said Helen Morrissey of Aherlow Fáilte.
Helen Morrissey paid tribute to all those that were involved in the erection of the statue in 1950 and said future generations were indebted to them. “It was a massive undertaking at the time. They picked a wonderful location. They had to source funding and at that time it was a physically demanding job because the equipment that is available today was not available then. They had a great sense of pride in their community,” said Helen.

“Christ the King has become such a focal point. They probably never realised how important the feature would be in promoting tourism in Tipperary and in the Glen of Aherlow,” said Helen Morrissey.
Helen said that the community were looking forward to being able to celebrate the anniversary and mark the achievement when the Covid crisis is over.
“It is unfortunate that we cannot celebrate it properly now but we intend to,” said Helen. The Glen of Aherlow Fáilte Society is a community tourism organisation set up to develop the tourism potential of the Glen of Aherlow. We have focused on the development of walking trails/routes highlighting the natural resources of mountains, hills, forests, lakes and rivers alongside the cultural heritage. Our members are representative of the tourism, farming, and business community and those who have keen interest in conserving the natural environment in a sustainable way for future generations,” said Helen.
Since the group was established in 1994 it has taken on responsibility for the upkeep of the Christ the King statue and the amenity picnic area which is now also a walking trail head with six loop walks starting from this point. In recent years paths have been upgraded, new seating added and the statue has just been painted recently.
Aherlow Fáilte has worked with great determination since it was founded on the development of the Glen of Aherlow Nature Park in co-operation with Coillte. It consists of a 50 acre park with a series of walking trails and information panels on flora, fauna and natural history and now has a fairy trail.
Aherlow Fáilte has developed eight national loop mapped walking routes including two lake walks (Curra and Musrky) on the lower Galtees.
It helped establish the Galtee Walking Club and has published numerous Glen of Aherlow brochures and walking maps over the years as well as running the community tourist office and has worked tirelessly to promote the Winter Walking Festival, the Clonbeg Pattern and contributing to Tipperary tourism.
The idea to commemorate the 1950 Holy Year was first mooted at a meeting of the Aherlow Guild of Muintir na Tire earlier that year. A sub-committee was set up, with Fr Phil Noonan C.C. as Chairman and Bertie Givens, representing the Church of Ireland, as Vice-Chair. Other key members were Paddy Lynch, Treasurer, Michael F Russell, Ned Moroney, Tom Gallahue, Jimmy McGrath, Mickey Russell, John Spencer, Dick Brennan, Paddy Carey, Alex Grogan and Ned Ryan. Their remit was to consult local people and organisations as to what, if anything should be done for this special occasion.
A clear message came back: erect a statue of “Christ the King”. A magnificent site was chosen and a massive community and ecumenical project was underway. Originally there was a huge crater where the statue now stands. Lorry loads of rubble were brought from old farm buildings in Ballinacourty and farmers by way of horse and box brought stones and gravel. A firm called Niff Brothers from Cork City sculpted the statue, Ned Ryan brought the Statue from Cork in Moroney’s lorry.

The final piece of the project was the making of the lettering “Ave Christus Rex”. This was expertly done by Mick Farrell from Ballyporeen, who worked full-time for about four months on what he lovingly called “my Christly job”. The Glen’s famous statue was unveiled on Sunday, October 29, 1950. It was blessed by Fr Phil Noonan C.C., Lisvernane and the homily was delivered by Fr Michael Lee, Diocesan Inspector. In the spring of 1975 Aherlow Muintir na Tire, under the chairmanship of Tom Russell, decided to replace the statue. History was repeating itself with the 1950 format of operation closely followed.
Again a small group was set up. Tom had able helpers in Fr Tom Hogan C.C., Liam Reardon, Mickey Russell, Patsy Sullivan, Tommy Hogan and Cyril Carey among others. Having established that the sculptors Niff Bros were still in existence, they agreed to create a new statue of Christ the King in as close a fashion as possible to the original. Meantime, a huge fund raising drive was undertaken. Once more a magnificent community effort was involved, including the contacting of a large number of Glen exiles. The cost on this occasion was £1,500. The new Statue of Christ the King was unveiled and blessed once more on Sunday, October 26 in 1975, its 25th anniversary, to the sweet strains of the Lisvernane School Band. Maintaining another link, the opening ceremony was performed by Monsignor Lee, Dean of Cashel and brother of the above mentioned Fr Michael Lee.

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