''Anna Livia'' is a
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
monument located in
Croppies' Acre Memorial Park in
Dublin, Ireland. It was formerly located on
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Hen ...
.
Background
Designed by the sculptor
Éamonn O'Doherty,
the monument was commissioned by businessman
Michael Smurfit
Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE (born 7 August 1936), is an English-born Irish businessman. In the "2010 Irish Independent Rich List" he was listed at 25th with a €368 million personal fortune.
Early life
Smurfit, who was born in St Helens, ...
, in memory of his father, for the
Dublin Millennium
In the 1980s and 1990s, a number of areas in the Republic of Ireland held year-long festivals commemorating historic anniversaries. The country was in an economic depression at the time and these were excuses for some civic pride; the anniversari ...
celebrations in 1988.
The monument is a
personification of the
River Liffey (''Abhainn na Life'' in
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
) which runs through the city.
Anna Livia Plurabelle
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a ...
is the name of a character in
James Joyce's ''
Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a bod ...
'' who also embodies the river. In the monument's original location, the river was represented as a young woman sitting on a slope with water flowing past her. Dubliners nicknamed it ''the Floozie in the Jacuzzi'',
a nickname that was encouraged by the sculptor.
The monument was removed from its site on O'Connell Street in 2001 to make room for the
Spire of Dublin
The Spire of Dublin, alternatively titled the Monument of Light ( ga, An Túr Solais), is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument in height, located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar (and prior to that a statue of William Blakeney ...
. In late February 2011, partly reworked and refurbished, the statue was relocated to Croppies Memorial Park next to the
Liffey, near
Heuston station
Heuston Station ( ; ga, Stáisiún Heuston; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iar ...
.
Gallery
File:Anna Livia Plurabelle.jpg, ''Anna Livia'' in its earlier O'Connell Street location
File:Anna Livia Plurabelle, Better Known As The Floozy In The Jacuzzi ( Croppies Memorial Park) - panoramio (1).jpg, Closeup of ''Anna Livia''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna Livia (Monument)
Monuments and memorials in the Republic of Ireland
Buildings and structures in Dublin (city)
Outdoor sculptures in Ireland
1988 sculptures
Personifications of rivers