The nudes in Dublin are on display not because of the Irish weather that chills naturists, but a reflection of the fact that these displays of public nudity are works of art, outdoors. Who would have thought that nudism in Ireland is a difficult thing, especially on an island that still has its moral compass heavily dominated by church doctrine (with Catholics and Presbyterians pursuing the dogma of “You shall not …” with a vengeance) ? Okay, there are those libertines in the big cities.
But even they have not yet dared to strip it all in public places.
However, you may find occasional nudes in Dublin. In public. It is art, after all! Where human physical nature is well hidden, the artistic representation of a naturist can be seen in some places, some with almost strange stories surrounding them.
Anna Livia: Banned on O’Connell Street
Once upon a time … in the late 1990s the statue of Anna Livia actually graced Dublin’s O’Connell Street. Many were awakened. The leggy beauty leaned back in her birthday costume, seaweed-like hair that didn’t protect her modesty. The “Floozie in the Jacuzzi” attracted unpleasant elements. Blame the naked! So when Dublin’s tallest artistic erection, the Spire (or “Stiletto in the Ghetto”) was erected, Anna Livia was in storage.
About a dozen years later, she resurfaced, near the Liffey, next to Heuston Station and the National Museum at Collins Barracks, on a patch of land rarely visited by anyone. Stripped of its stone surroundings, the nude, once gracefully reclined, now looks like a failed planking attempt. This is Dublin’s contribution in 101 on “How to ruin art.”
Artist : Éamonn O’Doherty
Location: Croppies Memorial Park, corner of Wolfe Tone Quay and Temple Street West, next to the Dublin Civil Defense Headquarters.
Revealing detail in sunlight cameras
If you look at the splendid Sunlight Chambers, right where Parliament Street meets the docks, you will notice many women. The splendid work of art has busts (hinting more in some cases, but showing nothing) and long strips of tiles that show the female pursuit of cleanliness (while the males work hard in the fields and workshops). They are all very well dressed, not in a Victorian costume, but in a “classic” outfit.
If you look closely (and know where to look), you’ll notice that they got one naked. Holding the ceiling in the corner is a totally naked and clouded woman. A detail that may surprise, we cannot help but wonder if this was done with a wink.
Artist: Designed by Liverpool architect Edward Ould for Lord Lever (Lever-Sunlight).
Location: corner of Parliament Street and Essex Quay.
The Tain: Naked Heroes and Queens
Granted, The Tain or The Cattle Raid of Cooley is one of the most exciting and extensive epics in Irish literary history, telling the story of two bulls and a queen who would not take no for an answer. Who wouldn’t say “No!” If muscular men answered her call. It also features Setanta, also known as Cuchullain.
It’s no wonder you find the focal points of the Setanta mythology in the Setanta building. In the form of tiles and covering a truly gigantic area with the stories, Setanta killing the hound, fighting his milk brother Ferdia, dies tied to a tree. In the midst of her royal nudity, Queen Maeve, riding bareback, is apparently in ecstasy.
Artist: Desmond Kinney
Location: In the courtyard of the Setanta Building, corner of Kildare and Leinster Street South.
Sweeney and more mythological nudes
This is another great story. Sweeney, a nobleman who molested a holy man and his otter, was beaten with madness and henceforth began to live in the forest, like birds, which meant without clothes and perched on the branches, feeding on the earth until salvation. .
This story has grown into another great tile artwork, again covering an otherwise very utilitarian wall. It features a lot of nudity. Sweeney himself is seen chasing naked (though strategically placed accessories protect his modesty). A nymph again offers a good view of the female form.
Artist: Desmond Kinney
PREVIOUS Location: First floor inner courtyard at Talbot Mall (Irish Life Center), Monday through Friday access only from Abbey Street Lower. The entire artwork was removed in the summer of 2013 and taken to the street, presumably “mosaic pieces will be donated to the National College of Art and Design for recycling.”
The nudes surrounding Oscar Wilde
The Oscar Wilde statue in Archbishop Ryan Park might be fully clothed and the focus of many visitors, but two nudes near it should not be overlooked, because they are part of this splendid tribute to Ireland’s most quoted writer.
One is supposed to portray Oscar Wilde’s long-suffering wife, Constance, kneeling, holding her visibly pregnant belly, her breasts disturbed by erect nipples, but with the face of a teenage girl, looking modestly, but who knows where?
And then we have a male torso, with all the identifying details cut off … leaving only a young, athletic top and bottom, with just a hint of pubic hair where the artist decided enough was enough for “Dionysus.” This may well be seen as a clue to Oscar’s predilection for young people in a love that dares not speak his name.
Artist: Danny Osborne
Location: Archbishop Ryan Park, corner of Merrion Square West and North.
Aspiration after a sex change
On the side of the Treasury building (once the headquarters of a very successful developer, now partially occupied by NAMA), wide-eyed visitors will see a naked figure climbing the wall around them. The artwork is called ‘Aspiration’ and it symbolizes Ireland moving forward and upward.
This is all very nice, but with two twists. One looks like a massive bronze casting, but it’s actually quite a lightweight fiberglass creation. And the other: the artist had conceived “Aspiration” as a male climber. However, developer Johnny Ronan reportedly didn’t want to look at a nude male background from his office window. However, there are no qualms about a bare female butt. Hence, a quick sex change.
Artist: Rowan Gillespie
Location: Treasury Building on Grand Canal Street Lower.
Queen Maeve and Full Frontal Nudity
Lastly, the price of Dublin’s most overtly erotic woman on public display must go to Queen Maeve. Yes, her again. The Queen of Connacht who promised willing warriors the pleasure she found between their loins was a shoe for the decoration of Connaught House, another office building.
And there he is, spear in hand, holding the severed head of a bull, a crow on his shoulder, hair like Bonny Tyler in a 1980s video clip. Plus… er… nothing, not a stitch of clothes in your highness. Visitors are greeted by long (actually “elongated”) legs, bare buttocks, bare breasts, and a thick layer of pubic hair that retains a certain modesty.
Artist: Patrick O’Reilly
Location: 1 Burlington Road, near the corner of Mespil Road.
