Thomas Moore Statue

Freestanding bronze statue of Thomas Moore, erected 1857. Temporarily moved 2014, to be re-erected 2017. Set on granite ashlar pedestal with chamfered corners, string course, and moulded base. Inscribed lettering to pedestal reading 'Moore'. Sited on stepped plinth on traffic island at junction of College Street and Westmoreland Street.

The Irish poet, singer and songwriter Thomas Moore (1779-1852) was a prominent figure in the nineteenth-century Gaelic Revival. This statue, erected after his death and funded by public subscription, was cast by Christopher Moore, and the pedestal was built by Ellington. Its siting next to public toilets is mentioned in Joyce's Ulysses, a play on one of Moore's poems: “They did right to put him up over a urinal – the meeting of the waters”. Although reviled as ‘that horrible exportation from London’ when first displayed, when re-erected it will form a striking visual focus at this important junction.