A SCULPTURE has been presented to St Joseph's CBS in Fairview, Dublin, by the Haughey family in honour of former taoiseach Charles Haughey who attended the school.
By sculptor Liam O'Neill and titled Prayer, it is to a design chosen by Haughey himself before his death in 2006 and is intended to express the idea of "supplication". The project was subsequently seen through by the Haughey family.
Sculpted from Irish redwood, it was presented to the school in a ceremony at Abbeville in Kinsealy yesterday. There, Minister of State for Education Seán Haughey said that "before he died, my father expressed a desire to donate a piece of sculpture as a momento to 'Joey's', where he spent many happy years. He retained a close association with the school throughout his life. This was very much his initiative and we are all delighted to fulfil his expressed wish."
Mr O'Neill said it gave him "particular satisfaction to complete this commission because I had the pleasure of dealing with Mr Haughey on a number of occasions in the past."
He said Mr Haughey "was always encouraging to artists and left a valuable legacy in the artists' tax exemption scheme, which can make the difference between financial survival and failure."
