The red steel sculpture “Red Cardinal” was designed by John Burke. It was erected in 1978 on the James Street side of the Bank of Ireland in Baggot Street Lower.
John Burke (11 May 1946 – 11 December 2006) Burke studied at the Crawford School of Art and Design in Cork and at the Royal Academy of London. He spent most of his career in the Cork area and for a time taught at Crawford, where his students included Eilis O'Connell and Vivienne Roche. Burke was a founding member of Aosdána in 1981.
The long promised refurbishment of Francis Street in The Liberties was due to begin in July 2021 but, I assume because of Covid-19 restrictions, progress appears to be rather slow.
