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UPDATE: Recently I was contacted by Fidelma Conway, Dave’s sister and she provided me with some additional information. Sadly Dave, a father of 2, died at the age of 38 as the result of a motorbike accident. Dave was a Demolition Manager and worked on the LUAS construction project here in Dublin.
I have spent almost a year trying to find any information about this sculpture beside the Luas Tram Stop at Smithfield. A few days ago I had a breakthrough when I discovered by accident that James Gannon was the artist responsible.
After taking some photographs I asked number of people about this sculpture and not one person thought that it was anything other that a bench and no one had notice the tramlines embedded in the structure until I drew their attention to them.
James Gannon works with stone and bronze from his studios in Dublin and Roscommon. In 1991 he was awarded the Gold Medal for Granite Sculpture in the Irish Landscape Exhibit in EXPO'91 Osaka, Japan.
In 2004 James Gannon was commissioned by the Railway Procurement Agency to make a piece of sculpture for the plaza at Smithfield Luas stop. The brief was to create a sculpture that celebrated the life of one of their workers who died tragically at a young age.
The two circles represent the motorbike that Dave Conway rode. The lifting and peeling back of the surface to fit the tramline and the wrecking ball stopped represent the rail line which Dave worked on.
It was decided to locate the piece back from the tramway and flank it with trees to create a place of rest and reflection in a busy city. I cannot remember seeing any trees.
At this stage I do not know much about Dave Conway “Demolition Dave” … maybe someone can help?
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