A two-meter-tall bronze art installation has been unveiled in the Burren to mark the birthplace of GAA founder Michael Cusack.
Inspired by Irish folklore and the area's equine heritage, the Púca was unveiled at the Michael Cusack Centre, in North Clare, on Saturday afternoon.
The bronze art piece, which pays tribute to one of Ireland's most famous mythical creatures, is expected to attract a significant number of visitors to the Michael Cusack Centre, in the Burren village of Carron, which is located in an area known as "Poll a Phúca" or "Lair of the Púca".
The artwork was initially intended to be housed in Ennistymon, but locals raised concerns about its "sinister" nature.
Dónal Ó hAiniféin, Chair of the Board of Michael Cusack Centre, said in a statement that the center is the "most appropriate setting" for the Púca.
"We are delighted to be selected to host the Púca. We are thrilled that the fantastic Púca artwork is coming home. The Michael Cusack Centre is a most appropriate setting for this magnificent figure," Ó hAiniféin said.
Ó hAiniféin said there are plans in place to develop an annual storytelling event dedicated to the Púca, with the inaugural event set to coincide with the 175th anniversary of Michael Cusack's birth in Carron.
"The annual Samhain / Púca Storytelling Festival on November 1st will celebrate the folklore around the Púca with a program of events ranging from the academic to children’s art. The inaugural event later this year also will coincide with the 175th anniversary of the birth of Michael Cusack here in Carron," he said.
Artist Aidan Harte, who was commissioned by the Arts Office of Clare County Council to create the artwork, said the Púca was one of Irish folklore's great characters.
"Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland, described ‘a terrible steed’ carrying mortals to fairyland on his back,” he said. “Catch him in the right mood, said Hyde, and the Púca tells fortunes and grants wishes. People who never heard these stories want to know if the Púca is bad or good. He’s neither. Like the rest of us, he’s inconsistent," Harte said.
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