Irish family in upstate New York build “Free Derry” snow sculpture

It’s finally, indisputably, feeling like winter here in the north eastern U.S. – especially in Syracuse, where snow has been piling up by the inches.

Instead of building your typical carrot-nosed snowman, the McGeoghegan family, who are from Derry and who moved to the Central NY city a few years ago, decided to pay homage to their hometown with a snowy replica of the Free Derry Corner.

Denise McGeoghegan posted a photo to Facebook of her son looking absolutely delighted next to their snow sculpture, which is about twice his height.

“We’ve evolved from snowmen to Irish historical landmarks,” she wrote, adding later in the comment section "See what my poor neighbors have to put up with."

The photo was spotted by Belfast-based music, events and marketing company AMMG Media, which shared the now viral photo.

Here’s the real brick and mortar Free Derry Corner for comparison:

It was first painted in 1969 in the Bogside neighborhood of Derry by local activist John Casey.