A STATUE erected in tribute to the Dubliners' frontman Luke Kelly has been vandalised for a fifth time in just 12 months.
The statue, which is located near Sheriff Street in Dublin, was one of two unveiled in honour of the iconic musician on the 35th anniversary of his death in January 2019.
Dublin City Council, under the guidance of then-mayor Christy Burke, commissioned the statue in 2014 at a cost of €80,000.
However, the 1.8-metre-high marble bust, which utilises copper wire to recreate Kelly’s signature beard and hair, has been the repeated target of vandals.
In each instance, the statue has been daubed with paint in the shape of glasses around the eyes, giving rise to the theory that the same individuals are behind each of the five offences.
The latest incident has seen the same glasses reappear in red paint along with what appears to be an offensive message written in paint on the base.
There's some absolute morons in this world, the Luke Kelly statue vandalised yet again tonight. Disgusting lack of respect, proper CCTV is needed at this stage. pic.twitter.com/qlItYT7WGE
— Brian McLoughlin (@bmcdublin) May 29, 2020
Dublin City Council previously suggested it would consider moving the statue if the vandalism incidents were to continue.
The council has already moved to clean the offending graffiti off the statue.
There continues to be calls for CCTV to be erected in the area to prevent more vandalism of the statue from taking place.
Luke Kelly was born in Dublin in 1940. He was one of the founding members of The Dubliners and quickly rose to prominence in the folk and traditional music scene.
He died in 1984 at the age of 43.
