I came across this by accident as I was trying to find my way to St. Finbarr's Cemetery. At the time there was too much traffic at the Wilton Roundabout so I decided that it would be better to return later in order to photograph the sculpture but as it began to rain I decided to get the 216 bus back to the city centre. Of course, the rain ceased the minute I boarded the bus.

Born in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, in 1946, John Burke studied at the Crawford School of Art in Cork, and in London with Brian Kneal.

He has shown sculptures in all the major Irish group exhibitions, as well as international shows like Artists 77, New York (1977); 18 European Sculptors, Munich (1978); Sculpture Européenne, Brussels (1979); A Sense of Ireland, London (1980); and C.A.N., Cork (1985), where he won the sculptor prize. He has held solo shows at Trinity College, Dublin; the Ulster Museum, Belfast; the David Hendriks Gallery, Dublin; and an open-air show in Cork city.

His outdoor works include the abstract red steel sculpture at the Bank of Ireland building on Baggot Street, Dublin.

He won the Cork Arts Society Award (1967), a Macaulay Fellowship (1970), and the Alice Hammerschlag Travel Award (1979).