The Molly Malone statue on Dublin’s Suffolk Street is to be put under protective watch to deter tourists from rubbing the figure’s bronze breasts, Dublin City Council has confirmed.
The statue, which depicts a fishmonger immortalised in a mid-19th century music hall song, has over the last decade become subject to a dubious “tradition” where tourists rub its breasts for luck.
The practice has resulted in discolouration and wearing of the bronze surface and has also caused concerns about disrespect for the artwork, which was completed in the late 1980s by sculptor Jeanne Rynhart who died in 2020.
The council has decided to use stewards from next month to patrol the area in front of the statue to deter people from rubbing the surface and to ask tour guides not to encourage their groups to indulge in the practice.
Trump tariffs: No justification for 20% tariffs on EU exports to US, says Martin
Court suspends Dublin Airport passenger cap beyond summer
‘It’s time to move on’: Unease is growing among my friends in the tech sector
Ireland’s remote islands: Only 29 apply for €84,000 grant aimed at attracting residents
The statue was originally installed at the bottom of Grafton Street in 1988 to celebrate the city’s millennium, but was moved to Suffolk Street in 2014 to clear the way for work on the Luas Green Line extension.
Following its removal from Grafton Street the statue underwent an intensive restoration project at the Bushy Park Ironworks in Tallaght. The figure had been cast in more than 30 pieces which were then welded together in situ when it was installed in 1988, and significant cracks had developed between the bronze pieces.
It had been planned that the statue would be relocated to Grafton Street, slightly north of its original location, when the Luas works completed in 2017, but it has remained on Suffolk Street since.
In addition to the damage caused by tourists, the statue has been marked with graffiti on a number of occasions since the move to Suffolk Street. In some cases this appears to have been an attempt to discourage the practice of groping the figure with slogans such as “Please don’t, TY [thank you]” and “7 Years Bad Luck” scrawled on its breast.
In a statement, the council said parts of the statue would be recovered in May.
It said a pilot week of stewarding will occur later that month to help educate tourists, tour guides and locals.
“Moving the statue or raising the plinth are costly options and placing a railing around this work may increase risk. However, all options are under review by Dublin City Council for this statue at this time,” it said.
