SCULPTURE AT LEESON STREET BRIDGE
MAN ON TRESTLE BY CAROLYN MULHOLLAND AT LEESON STREET BRIDGE [THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW]
Recently, a tourist guide from "Splash Tours" was overheard attributing the phrase "the straight and narrow" to this sculpture at Leeson Street Bridge
In Dublin, public statues are rarely known by their official titles. The city's inhabitants have a long-standing tradition of christening them with nicknames that are often more memorable, and certainly more colorful, than their formal names. From "The Tart with the Cart" for the statue of Molly Malone to "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi" for Anna Livia, these affectionate monikers are a quintessential part of the city's character. Now, with the installation of a new sculpture on the North Canal bank, it seems another nickname may be about to join the ranks.
The bronze sculpture, Man on Trestle, by the acclaimed artist Carolyn Mulholland, is a striking addition to the landscape at the Leeson Street Bridge entrance. It captures a moment of thoughtful, everyday labor, and its powerful form is a fine example of Mulholland’s celebrated work. Yet, as is often the case in Dublin, the sculpture's potential nickname is less about the art itself and more about its context.
The phrase "The Straight and Narrow" has been making the rounds in local conversation, often humorously misattributed by tour guides to the path that barge ponies once followed along the canal. While the phrase has a far more serious biblical origin, referring to a virtuous path, its local application has taken on a life of its own.
This is precisely the kind of fertile ground from which Dublin nicknames spring. The sculpture stands at the entrance to a newly developed path, which itself replaced two narrower paths. The poetic irony of a statue named Man on Trestle positioned at the beginning of a path colloquially, and incorrectly, referred to as "the straight and narrow" is hard to ignore. It’s a perfect, almost pre-ordained, combination of place, popular culture, and playful misinterpretation.
Whether the name will stick remains to be seen, but the foundations have been laid. The sculpture has a prominent location, a compelling backstory (however apocryphal), and an immediate connection to a phrase already in local circulation. In a city where a statue’s true name is often decided by the people, it seems "The Straight and Narrow" has a very good chance of becoming the new, unofficial title for Mulholland's magnificent work.
Recently, a tourist guide from "Splash Tours" was overheard attributing the phrase "the straight and narrow" to this sculpture at Leeson Street Bridge
In Dublin, public statues are rarely known by their official titles. The city's inhabitants have a long-standing tradition of christening them with nicknames that are often more memorable, and certainly more colorful, than their formal names. From "The Tart with the Cart" for the statue of Molly Malone to "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi" for Anna Livia, these affectionate monikers are a quintessential part of the city's character. Now, with the installation of a new sculpture on the North Canal bank, it seems another nickname may be about to join the ranks.
The bronze sculpture, Man on Trestle, by the acclaimed artist Carolyn Mulholland, is a striking addition to the landscape at the Leeson Street Bridge entrance. It captures a moment of thoughtful, everyday labor, and its powerful form is a fine example of Mulholland’s celebrated work. Yet, as is often the case in Dublin, the sculpture's potential nickname is less about the art itself and more about its context.
The phrase "The Straight and Narrow" has been making the rounds in local conversation, often humorously misattributed by tour guides to the path that barge ponies once followed along the canal. While the phrase has a far more serious biblical origin, referring to a virtuous path, its local application has taken on a life of its own.
This is precisely the kind of fertile ground from which Dublin nicknames spring. The sculpture stands at the entrance to a newly developed path, which itself replaced two narrower paths. The poetic irony of a statue named Man on Trestle positioned at the beginning of a path colloquially, and incorrectly, referred to as "the straight and narrow" is hard to ignore. It’s a perfect, almost pre-ordained, combination of place, popular culture, and playful misinterpretation.
Whether the name will stick remains to be seen, but the foundations have been laid. The sculpture has a prominent location, a compelling backstory (however apocryphal), and an immediate connection to a phrase already in local circulation. In a city where a statue’s true name is often decided by the people, it seems "The Straight and Narrow" has a very good chance of becoming the new, unofficial title for Mulholland's magnificent work.
