THE Waterford sculptor behind the proposal for a 82-metre high 'Guardian of the Deise' monument overlooking Waterford city says he is hopeful an investor can be found and the council gets behind the plan to make it happen.
The visitor attraction - which would cost about 18m to erect - would be the tallest statue in Europe and the equivalent of 'Ireland's Statue of Liberty', according to sculptor John Hayes and also artist and designer Roger O'Reilly who has become involved in the ambitious project.
A number of potential locations around the current train station and in close proximity to the former Ard Ri hotel are still being looked at for the development which John says has the potential to attract tourists from all over the world.
His vision is for a 'guardian' of the Deise, standing tall over Waterford.
It wouldn't just be a statue, he says, as people could go into and up it, via a lift and stairs, to a glass-fronted viewing area close to the where they would enjoy fantastic views of Waterford. Within the 'guardian', there would also be interactive activities and arts events so it would be an "all-day" attraction.
The site itself could also be accessed via a cable car.
A team of 12 people from architects to engineers and designers have, at this stage, had input into the plan which John Hayes said he has been personally working on for five years. He said what the team now have is a well-rounded package which stands up to the rigours of accountancy, engineering and so on. He said it's been costed at approx. 18 million in total.
"It's not just a statue, it's an interactive destination and will attract people from all over the world," he told Damien Tiernan on Deise Today this morning (Tuesday).
Roger OReilly, from Ireland Posters.ie, said he had worked with John previously on a few projects.
"John had this amazing venture in mind and asked me would I give a hand in terms of the design of the sculpture," said Roger, who added he had since created a one-foot tall version...a guardian figure with a raven on his sword, the raven being a symbol of passing messages and travel etc."
The guardian figure itself, meanwhile, had a lot of meaning for Waterford specifically, representing the ages Waterford has lived through, trade, people migrating and so on.
John Hayes said when he initially approached the council a number of years ago, he was told that there were a lot of considerations to be factored in.
"I got 20 'nos' as to why this couldn't happen and I tried to change some of those into a 'yes'," he said.
In terms of exact locations, he was looking to put it somewhere over the railway station. Land there was owned by local property developer Seamus Walsh and he had had conversations with him about it.
"I'm not saying I have the money, what we're saying now is....we're bringing an option to the table for the north quays, at end of day it's Michael Walsh (Council CEO) and the council's decision," he said, adding that he hoped a private investor would come on board too.
" My main goal is (that) what we bring to the table benefits the person on the ground. If we can partner with council and a developer, we have a chance. If we build this in the morning, we are looking at a big influx (of visitors)," John Hayes added.
You can listen back to the interview with John and Roger by clicking below here...
