Famine Memorial, Dublin
Situated just east of Dublin鈥檚 Custom House is one of the city鈥檚 most evocative memorials鈥攁 stark tribute to a time of suffering etched deep into Ireland鈥檚 collective memory. Simply titled 鈥淔amine,鈥� this haunting assembly of life-sized bronze figures was unveiled in 1998, produced by Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie. A piece of art, it stands largely as a testimony.
These gaunt forms, cast in bronze but heavy with human sorrow, commemorate the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1851鈥攐ne of the darkest chapters in Ireland鈥檚 past. Their hollow eyes and emaciated frames speak volumes where words fail, capturing the despair of those who once trudged toward uncertain futures, driven from their homeland by starvation and despair.
Positioned along the River Liffey, the sculptures face east, toward the Irish Sea鈥攁nd, perhaps with quiet accusation, toward Britain. Behind them rises the modern sheen of the Allied Irish Bank, a cruel contrast to the poverty and neglect these figures recall. The location itself amplifies the memorial鈥檚 message, placing the memory of loss directly within the current of present-day commerce and movement.
During the years of famine, over one million people perished. Another million fled, often boarding the so-called 鈥渃offin ships鈥� (a common nickname for the overcrowded, unsanitary vessels, with high mortality rates due to disease and poor conditions) bound for distant shores. The population of Ireland was effectively halved鈥攁 wound from which the country would never fully recover. In recognition of this far-reaching tragedy, a sister installation was unveiled in Toronto in 2007, at Ireland Park, honouring those who found refuge across the Atlantic.
Together, these sculptures form a silent procession鈥攆orever walking, forever remembered...
These gaunt forms, cast in bronze but heavy with human sorrow, commemorate the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1851鈥攐ne of the darkest chapters in Ireland鈥檚 past. Their hollow eyes and emaciated frames speak volumes where words fail, capturing the despair of those who once trudged toward uncertain futures, driven from their homeland by starvation and despair.
Positioned along the River Liffey, the sculptures face east, toward the Irish Sea鈥攁nd, perhaps with quiet accusation, toward Britain. Behind them rises the modern sheen of the Allied Irish Bank, a cruel contrast to the poverty and neglect these figures recall. The location itself amplifies the memorial鈥檚 message, placing the memory of loss directly within the current of present-day commerce and movement.
During the years of famine, over one million people perished. Another million fled, often boarding the so-called 鈥渃offin ships鈥� (a common nickname for the overcrowded, unsanitary vessels, with high mortality rates due to disease and poor conditions) bound for distant shores. The population of Ireland was effectively halved鈥攁 wound from which the country would never fully recover. In recognition of this far-reaching tragedy, a sister installation was unveiled in Toronto in 2007, at Ireland Park, honouring those who found refuge across the Atlantic.
Together, these sculptures form a silent procession鈥攆orever walking, forever remembered...
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Famine Memorial on Map
Sight Name: Famine Memorial
Sight Location: Dublin, Ireland (See walking tours in Dublin)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Dublin, Ireland (See walking tours in Dublin)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Dublin, Ireland
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