20 July, 2012 Ministers Quinn and Hayes announce winner of competition to provide a Memorial to the Victims of Institutional Abuse
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., and the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Brian Hayes T.D., today (Friday 20th July) announced the winner of a competition to provide a memorial to victims of institutional abuse as recommended in the Ryan Report and endorsed by Dáil Éireann.
Studio Negri and Hennessy & Associates have been awarded the commission for their entry Journey of Light.
Announcing the winner, Minister Quinn said, “As a strong advocate for the memorial to the victims of institutional abuse, I am pleased to announce the winning entry for the competition today.
“The Jury’s recommendation follows months of deliberations and consultation, including with representatives of the survivors of institutional abuse and a public consultation process.
“I believe that the winning entry, Journey of Light, will act as a testimony to one of the darkest chapters in our State’s history and what we collectively as a society allowed to happen to vulnerable children. I hope it will serve as a constant reminder that we must never let such horrendous crimes against children happen again and we must strive to protect all of our children,” said the Minister.
The Ryan Report recommended the erection of a Memorial to victims of institutional abuse and noted the importance of the State’s formal recognition of the abuse and suffering being preserved in a permanent place.
The memorial will be erected adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square, Dublin. The OPW is managing the commissioning and delivery of the project.
Minister Hayes said, “I would like to endorse what Minister Quinn has said and I am pleased that the OPW, on behalf of the Government, will have oversight and an administrative role in bringing this project to fruition.”
Following the consultation phase, the competition to design the memorial was launched in July 2011 and the Art Management Office of the OPW managed the process.
32 submissions were received and considered in Stage 1 of the competition from which 6 entries proceeded to Stage 2, where the Jury met with the competitors to discuss their more detailed and specific proposals for the Memorial. Following detailed discussions, the Jury has unanimously decided to award the commission to Studio Negri and Hennessy & Associates for their submission Journey of Light.
The budget for the project is €500,000.
The Ministers conveyed their appreciation to the members of the Jury and the Committee for their willing commitment and enthusiasm in participating in this important project.
Please see JPG image of Garden of Light
Picture of Memorial to People who were abused while in the care of Religious Orders and the State
You know paddy i have been thinking about the memoral. I have to admit that as part of me knows that i might never see it so i feel the way i did about not knowing that the apology of mr o herne had been made. Just a bit upset by the whole thing
Personally I think online petitions and petitions in general are just bollocks. A lot of people these days think all they have to do is play with their keyboards and they can pat themselves on the back for being “activists”.
That link has been around for a long time. A motion put to Aosdana re the Memorial was defeated. The petition itself didn’t gather anything like the numbers one would have expected.
I only found that link yesterday Paddy. I thought you’d be interested. What you say is right: he could have submitted a design himself.
I find it somewhat baffling to put it mildly that Mannix Flynn left it so late to lodge an objection to the Memorial. He had over two years to meet with the Memorial Committee if he so wished. It’s also important to bear in mind that the funding allocated for the Memorial was a recommendation of the Report into the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Justice Mary Laffoy, then Justice Seán Ryan). Those who are vocalising now about the memorial were remarkably silent about issues such as the Institutional Redress Board. Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion including Mannix. The €500,000 is ‘ring-fenced’ for the Memorial to those of us who were abused while in the care of the State and Religious Orders. Finally as a very brilliant artist Mannix could have entered the competition for the Memorial that was widely advertised. Paddy.
This was posted on Mannix Flynn’s page on Facebook.
http://www.stopthemonument.com/
The memorial is insulting and meaningless.
€500,000 should be going to the victims, not a memoral that grafitti vandals will attack.
TDs Ruairí Quinn and Brian Hayes are making sure they will be remembered in stone. They should be STONED.
How would anyone looking at that thing know that the Catholic Church Limited has spent decades (centuries) torturing and raping children, imprisoning and enslaving women and covering it all up?