Sculptor brings newly-cast bust of writer home to Mullingar from London

Sculptor Gerry Waldron carried home to Mullingar this week a precious cargo: his newly-cast bust of the late Mullingar writer, Leo Daly. And, he admits, he is delighted with how the work has turned out."I modelled it in clay, and I brought it to the foundry and had it cast in bronze," says Gerry, adding that he was delighted that the foundry, in Putney in London, gave the work some priority, and began work on it straight away.The bust is to be placed at the Library in Mullingar, a fitting place for a man who left behind him a huge opus of written work, not just prose, but poetry; and also some very valuable photographs, and this week, at his home, Gerry is to show the bust to Leo's family.It's clear that Gerry felt a huge sense of responsibility when asked to create the piece: "When I got the email, I had just finished a lovely head of a man from Glana, and I was really pleased with it, and the very next day I got the email from William Daly saying I had the commission. At first, I was a bit nervous about it, as normally the person is alive, but Leo's family were very good in providing photos, and I knew him so well myself - I used to always visit him in the nursing home - and he was always very supportive of me."Gerry says he worked "intensely" and "intensively" on the bust, and was lucky that everything went very smoothly.""It's exciting when you are working in clay to see the person emerge, and I worked on it very lovingly, and I could see Leo emergning from the clay as I worked - lovingly - on it," he says.A big admirer of Leo's, Gerry admits he was delighted that Leo's son William travelled to London to view the work, and was happy with it."I am completely satisfied with it myself," Gerry says.A full-time painter and sculptor, Gerry is a Mullingar man, who, like Leo, studied at Coláiste Mhuire.He has had a number of exhibitions at the Arts Centre in Mullingar.