Good progress on cleaning Brigid's Well sculpture

The major part of the cleaning and restoration of the Fr Henry Flanagan sculpture at St Brigid's Well has been completed, writes Brian Byrne. The project is a Brigid 1500 initiative by Kilcullen Community Action.

The piece, St Brigid Feeding the Poor, was unveiled in 1977, commissioned by the then Kilcullen Community Council as part of the Valley park development.

The cleaning work was carried out by specialist contractor Neil O'Dwyer, under the supervision of local conservation architect Laura Bowen. A poultice method was used to remove aluminium paint which has covered the delicate Portland stone since 2014. For a decade before that, a perspex sheet had been used to protect the sculpture from graffiti vandalism.

The cleaning has been supported by a grant from Kildare County Council. Some detail repairs remain to be done to the piece.

Detail of the sculpture.

The contractor's assistant, Val, working at the well. Photo: Laura Bowen.

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