A painting of Limerick crime figure Liam Keane, depicting the infamous photograph where he stuck his two fingers up to the law outside Dublin's Central Criminal Court, will be unveiled this Friday at a major exhibition in Limerick city.
The photo was taken when Keane walked free from the court in November 2003 after six witnesses denied making statements implicating him in the stabbing to death of 19-year-old Eric Leamy.
The painting, by Clare artist Martin Shannon, is titled A Saint for Sinners, and features Keane in a semi-religious pose with a halo.
Shannon has declined to comment on his reasons behind this depiction of Keane. "The painting is accompanied by an artist's statement in the gallery. It is open to interpretation and I would invite the public to come along and make up their own minds," he said.
The artist included a piece of work titled Stab City in the annual ev+a festival in Limerick two years ago. He was behind the recent Stab City T-shirts during the Sunday riverside markets in Limerick last summer.
Other well-known local artists who are participating in the exhibition include Emma Berkery, Jack Donovan, Charley Harper, Breda Lynch, Amy O'Riordan, Susannah O'Reilly, Deirdre Power, John Shinnors and Richard Slade.
The exhibition runs at Thinkk Creative gallery on Cecil Street, Limerick, from this Friday until November 2nd.