ALSO KNOWN AS SHEEP AT THE FAIR
🐑 "Sheep at the Post" by Joe Neeson
This sculpture at the Fair Green in Midleton is a significant piece of public art that masterfully connects the location's past with its present.
Artist: Joe Neeson, a prominent Cork-based sculptor known for several major public art commissions.
Description: The artwork, created in bronze and concrete, features three life-sized, naturalistic bronze sheep positioned around a tall, modern concrete pillar or "post."
Symbolism: The piece is a direct and powerful homage to the original, centuries-long purpose of the Fair Green. This open space was the historic heart of Midleton's agricultural commerce, where farmers from all over East Cork would gather to trade livestock, including cattle, geese, and, as depicted, sheep. The sculpture places this heritage in plain sight, ensuring that the history of the green is not forgotten as it serves its modern purpose.
The sculpture was commissioned by the former Midleton Town Council around 2014 as part of a wider initiative to enhance the town with public art that reflected its unique history.
🌳 The Fair Green
The setting of the sculpture is essential to its meaning. The Fair Green has been a central hub for the Midleton community for over 400 years.
Historical Hub: Midleton was granted a license for a market in 1608 and a fair in 1609, and this green was the site of that commerce. It was a place of vital economic and social exchange for generations.
Modern Community Space: The tradition of trade and community continues on the very same spot today. The Fair Green is now the celebrated home of the Midleton Farmers Market, one of Ireland's most famous and vibrant markets. Joe Neeson's sculpture stands as a permanent reminder of this unbroken legacy—a nod to the thousands of farmers who stood there before the artisan producers of today.
This sculpture at the Fair Green in Midleton is a significant piece of public art that masterfully connects the location's past with its present.
Artist: Joe Neeson, a prominent Cork-based sculptor known for several major public art commissions.
Description: The artwork, created in bronze and concrete, features three life-sized, naturalistic bronze sheep positioned around a tall, modern concrete pillar or "post."
Symbolism: The piece is a direct and powerful homage to the original, centuries-long purpose of the Fair Green. This open space was the historic heart of Midleton's agricultural commerce, where farmers from all over East Cork would gather to trade livestock, including cattle, geese, and, as depicted, sheep. The sculpture places this heritage in plain sight, ensuring that the history of the green is not forgotten as it serves its modern purpose.
The sculpture was commissioned by the former Midleton Town Council around 2014 as part of a wider initiative to enhance the town with public art that reflected its unique history.
🌳 The Fair Green
The setting of the sculpture is essential to its meaning. The Fair Green has been a central hub for the Midleton community for over 400 years.
Historical Hub: Midleton was granted a license for a market in 1608 and a fair in 1609, and this green was the site of that commerce. It was a place of vital economic and social exchange for generations.
Modern Community Space: The tradition of trade and community continues on the very same spot today. The Fair Green is now the celebrated home of the Midleton Farmers Market, one of Ireland's most famous and vibrant markets. Joe Neeson's sculpture stands as a permanent reminder of this unbroken legacy—a nod to the thousands of farmers who stood there before the artisan producers of today.
SHEEP AT THE POST