A bust of the late Shannon RFC, Munster and Ireland rugby legend, Anthony Foley, was unveiled on Friday evening at Shannon RFC clubhouse, which is located in Thomond Park.
Kilbaha based sculptor Seamus Connolly was commissioned to create the bust of the Killaloe man, who died suddenly in Paris on October 16, 2016. The 42 year old former back row forward was Munster Head Coach at the time of his passing.
“It was an honour to be asked to commemorate Anthony. I was approached by Shannon Rugby Club. They wanted to put up a bust and of course I was very excited to do it. Also, there was a lot of pressure because Anthony was a hero for Shannon, Munster and Ireland. I tried to capture the essence of him,” Seamus Connolly told The Clare Champion.
“You pick your pose and go ahead with it. After that you hope that everyone is going to be happy. The commissioners have seen the statue, at the clay stage and they were delighted with it. There is also a copy of it going to St Munchin’s College in Limerick, donated by Shannon RFC,” he added.
Peter O’Connell
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.