Rowan Gillespie Sculpture "Famine"

Dublin sculpture recalls famine's devastation

A collection of statues along Dublin's Liffey River give gaunt witness to the devastating Irish famine of the mid-19th century.

ON THE BANKS of Dublin's Liffey River, gaunt figures stand silently. The somber sculptures are a haunting commemoration of the 19th-century Irish famine that killed an estimated million people and provoked mass emigration, profoundly altering Ireland's history and culture.

The sculpture, called "Famine," stands on the riverside Custom House Quay in Dublin. Created by Irish artist Rowan Gillespie, the half-dozen bronze figures are dejected and emaciated men and women clutching their few belongings and a weary child, perhaps on their way to a ship that will carry them away from starvation-swept Ireland.

The 1840s famine was caused by a potato blight that destroyed the vital crop. About one-quarter of Ireland's population died or emigrated.

These days the banks of the Liffey, for centuries a witness to Dublin's struggles and strife, bustled with renovated riverside buildings and walkways. Take a ride on a sightseeing boat or stroll along the river through the heart of the city, past "Famine" and other Dublin sights rich in history.