Eight foot slice of river stands tall in Park

The first of two new pieces of sculpture for Mullingar’s revamped town park was mounted into place last week.Kells-based sculptor Ann Meldon Hugh drew on the the history of Mullingar for inspiration for the striking 8 foot high stainless steel and bronze work, which she has called “The Silver Brosna/An Lámh Airgid”.The very attractive sculpture represents the waters of the Brosna - the flowing stream represented by the burnished sculpted steel, and “floating” in its waters, the figures of humans, animals, fish and plants, cast in bronze.“The piece is three dimensional with life-sized sculptures on the back and front - some figures would appear to move between both sides as through the water,” says Westmeath Arts Officer, Catherine Kelly, adding that the surface of the sculpture has been given a disc-ground finish to give the surface an almost-holographic effect.The River Brosna was, reveals Catherine, originally called “The Silver Arm”, and was mentioned in the 11th century in a poem by Cuan O Lotchain which lists the High Kings’ seven privileges and includes in the list “Cresses from the River Brosna”.Later, however, the river became an open sewer, but thanks to the introduction of a sewerage system in the town, it is now a fine coarse fishing river.The sculptor, Ann Meldon Hugh, already has another public sculpture on display in Westmeath, the “Motte Gráinne Óg” outside Moate.