Misneach

About

Misneach Irish pronunciation: [mɪʃnˠɔx] (English: Courage), also known as Girl on Horse, is an equestrian statue by Irish artist John Byrne in Ballymun, a Northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The statue was commissioned as part of Ballymun Regeneration Limited's percent for art scheme Breaking Ground. It is the only equestrian statue in Dublin. It was unveiled in front of Trinity Comprehensive School on 17 September 2010, although it was originally intended to be placed at the proposed town centre on the former Ballymun Shopping Centre site, being relocated due to plans for a proposed Ballymun MetroLink station. The statue was cast from a mould of the Gough Monument, replacing the figure of Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough with local teenager Tony Marie Shields, subverting the expectation typically associated with military imagery. The statue has been read as subverting expectations that come with equestrian statues and reclaiming the monument, though some locals have criticised it as portraying a stereotypical image of Ballymun.